Since the launch of BACK FROM THE BRINK TOO I have been able to research a number of visitors to my site to find out how I can further help the person suffering from depression and their caregiver.

The people that responded to the survey said that one of the things they would really value was the opportunity to participate in an anonymous telephone seminar on how the sufferer and their caregiver can work together to overcome depression.

I have come across some technology that enables the participants to either listen via their computer with speakers (using the internet) or by phone. It would also be possible to listen to a recording if you weren’t able to make the designated time. It will also be possible for me to answer questions raised before each seminar.

This type of format would allow me to share a much broader range of information than is possible in a book. In particular, with each point raised, I would like to share the perspective of both the person living with depression and the caregiver.

I have also come to realise that whilst some people like reading books, there are many others that would prefer to listen and watch.

Broadly speaking, I would see 4 seminars each being of around 60-90 minutes on a Tuesday night at 8pm, Sydney, Australia time. Each seminar will have accompanying materials

WEEK 1: WHAT REALLY, REALLY, WORKS IN MANAGING/ OVERCOMING DEPRESSION?

This will briefly outline the symptoms of depression but focus mainly on the evidence based strategies that are most effective for overcoming depression. I will outline a specific plan of action I recommend.

WEEK 2: FINDING THE RIGHT HELP FOR THE SUFFERER AND CAREGIVER

This week will show sufferers and carers how to find appropriate mental health professionals. It will include strategies to encourage the sufferer to seek help. It will also explain the mental health maze and how to access the right expertise. Getting the correct diagnosis and treatment is fundamental to recovery.

WEEK 3: BUILDING A SUPPORT NETWORK FOR THE SUFFERER AND CAREGIVER

Never have both parties been more in need of the care of family and friends. I will show how to build a plan brick by brick so both the sufferer and their caregiver can feel well supported. This support and cooperation is essential for implementing treatment strategies. Friendship is the special key to mental health.

WEEK 4: HELPING TO PREVENT A CRISIS AND SUSTAINING THE CARE

The taboo subject of self harm and suicide will be discussed from the perspective of the person living with depression and their loved ones. Strategies to help prevent a crisis occurring will be clearly explained. Recovery from depression is rarely a straight line and I will discuss what both parties can do when the road gets rocky. I will also outline some case studies of people who have been transformed by depression and gone on to lead very fulfilling lives.

There are of course costs involved in putting something like this on, but I plan to make Week 1 free so people can try before they buy.

The first seminar which will be on November 25^th, 2008.

If you have any questions or comments please respond to this blog.

Kind Regards

Graeme

Graeme Cowan

www.IamBackFromTheBrink.com

Tags: back from the brink too, depression caregivers, depression treatments, graeme cowan, overcoming depression

Thought Leaders Showcase

Last Thursday, I was one of 8 participants in a Thought Leaders Winter Showcase. This is an event put on for Speakers Bureaus and Convention Organisers. My presentation was on Brinkmanship: the art of turning adversity into opportunity. It was quite ironic that it was on July 24 - exactly 4 years after my last suicide attempt. If you had told me back then that I would be speaking so publicly about my depression I wouldn’t have believed you.

Brinkmanship

I have come to realise that we often see problems and adversity with our mind and opportunities with our hearts. How then do we begin to engage our hearts. When we are in the depths of depression this is very hard but I will try to describe my path out. I believe there are 5 principles of brinkmanship.

Step Back

After leaving hospital following a 9 week stay in November 2005 I attended an outpatient depression management course. In this course they encouraged us not to try to solve our whole life’s problems today, but to live in weekly compartments. We set goals, initially around exercise and contact with family and friends. When you are depressed, this is not something you feel like doing, but I decided to give it a go. Over a 4 month period my mood started to improve.

Experience the NOW

This is easy to understand intellectually, but so hard to live. A friend of mine had done a meditation course with the Brahma Kumaris and encouraged me to do the same. I did the course and immediately started seeing benefits. It was interesting, because when I was really depressed, I had tried meditating but without much success. I believe the exercise I had done before hand really helped to prepare me. I now start each day with 20 minutes of meditation and a 45 minute bush walk and this gets me off to a great start.

Reach Out

As my mood improved, I became involved with a 12 step support group called GROW. As I reached out to others, I found it also helped me. I began to reacquaint myself with old friends.

Value Yourself and Others

This is about caring for others and yourself. I started doing voluntary work which got me out of the house and really helped. When I began working on BFTB, this project became bigger than myself and served as motivation when I wasn’t feeling great.

Energise

Once your new mission evolves, the energy comes naturally - you seem to be in the flow.

I don’t want to trivialise depression, but the more I see it in perspective, the more I am convinced that there are many self help things that can be done to aid your own recovery.

SERVE

You’ll notice that the five principles form the acronym SERVE. I know that when I am depressed I become very self absorbed and that thinking about how my experience of adversity can help others is an important change in mindset that can often allow us to move forward.

This is a brief summary of my talk which I hope to be presenting on a much wider scale - particularly in the corporate sector.

Kind Regards

Graeme

Tags: depression, depression treatments, overcoming depression

I thought I would share some wonderful news with you. There is a book by Jack Canfield called the “Aladdin Factor”. Basically it asserts that if you have wishes and dreams you should float them out there because it is remarkable what can happen. I have a very good example of that. I’ll try and keep a long story short:

An amazing journey

Earlier this year I had a call from a counsellor from Lifeline Cental in SA requesting to buy a couple of books. As I had previously received several emails from other Lifeline counsellors saying how helpful they had found the book, I decided to donate a box of 30 books. The counselling manager from the region, offered to help coordinate the written feedback from counsellors after they had read it. Overwhelmingly they agreed that it would be very helpful (see comments below).

A couple of nights after receiving that feedback from SA, I was giving a keynote address at a Lifeline fundraiser for h2h in Sydney. At the end of my speech, I mentioned briefly that it was my vision to find a sponsor to provide a copy of my book for every Lifeline TC. A couple approached me after my talk saying they would like to help on the condition that their involvement remained anonymous. After contacting a colleague overseas they were able to raise the necessary money for the 4200 books – truly inspirational.

What Lifeline TC’s had to say about BFTB

“I read it in two and a half days – I couldn’t put it down”

“It helped me understand the different forms depression can take and how they can affect people”

“The stories were full of hope – it is what clients need to hear”

“There are stories in there that everyone can relate to”

 Put 11.00am Tuesday September 9, 2008 @ The Blackdog Institute in your diary

I’m thrilled to confirm the launch day for BACK FROM THE BRINK TOO: Helping your loved one overcome depression. I am very excited by the potential of this book to touch many lives. An official invitation will follow soon but I just wanted to get the date in your diary.

Kind Regards

Graeme

Tags: depression books, inspiration, overcoming depression

As some of you would know, I am also the leader of a GROW group. GROW is a 12 step support group for people with mental health issues - see www.grow.net.au . I remember being in my first group five years ago and thinking that I would never recover. Sure, some people may be able to overcome their depression, but they obviously don’t know how bad my depression is.

I am always reminded of those days when a new person comes for the first time who is really struggling. We had a person last night who had been in hospital for 9 months and was really struggling to come to terms with their future. My advice in this situation is always the same:

1. Don’t get too far ahead of yourself - just try setting weekly goals. Initially these goals should be around exercise (30 minutes 6 times per week) and contact with family and friends (2-3 visits per week) You should then schedule these activities and then live your life in day tight compartments.
2. Make sure you find a competent doctor and/or psychologist and follow their advice. 
3. If you aren’t currently working, explore voluntary work
4. Review these goals at the end of each week and set ones for the following week.

I would welcome your thoughts on this approach or you may have a different approach that works for you. I look forward to your post.

Kind Regards

Graeme

Tags: , adversity, anxiety, depression, hopeless, mental health at work, overcoming depression, psychiatric hospital, stigma, stress

I have just finished writing “BACK FROM THE BRINK TOO: 7 Steps to help your loved one in overcoming depression”. It is quite an exhaustive process writing a book but I just felt so dedicated to the task by knowing how difficult it is to support someone with depression. As part of the process I interviewed over 200 carers and I was just struck with how difficult it is for them. Often they don’t feel they can discuss their situation with anyone and don’t really know where they can get help. I have found that there is quite a lot of help out there but it is very fragmented and difficult to find. Hopefully my book will go someway down the path of addressing this issue. What I also know is how important that support is for those living with depression. We need to act as a partnership to get the best result for both parties.

Kind Regards

Graeme

Tags: , , depression, overcoming depression, support of loved ones

In Australia we have made considerable progress in increasing awareness of depression in society which is fantastic. I remember when I had my first really bad bout of depression 20 years ago I had no idea what depression was. I had been to university but never knew that this was a clinical condition. I felt such shame going to a psychiatric hospital that I insisted my wife tell work that I had a really bad “virus”. That whole episode was kept a close family secret for so long because of my shame.

Fast forward to today, and as highlighted previously, there has been some progress. Unfortunately, the discussion of mental illness at work is still largely taboo. When doing research for my book “Back From The Brink” I asked people if they had personally experienced depression. Sixty five percent said they had experienced strong or very strong stigma. To try and find out where that stigma occurred I asked people how comfortable they were discussing their depression with various people. 61% said they were comfortable talking with their General Practitioner, 50% with their partner, 41% with their close friends, 28% with family, and 9% yes 9% with work colleagues. So 9 out of 10 people with depression don’t feel comfortable discussing it with work colleagues.

With the World Health Organisation saying that depression is going to be the second most disabling condition facing the world by 2020 pretending that mental illness doesn’t happen at work in absolute lunacy for both individuals and the organisation.

I am in the final stages of preparing a free ebook called “Best Practice in Managing Mental Illness in the Workplace” where I have pulled together information from around the world and looked at some of the recent successes in this area. It will be launched on Wednesday when John Brogden speaks at an AIM forum about mental health in the workplace. It will also be discussed the same day at a forum for Equal Employment Opportunity professionals.

We have to start standing up and talking about these issues openly. I look forward to any comments.

Kind Regards

Graeme

Tags: , anxiety, depression, hospital, mental health at work, overcoming depression, psychiatric, stigma, stress