Australia welcomes you  to the 


National Network of Adult and Adolescent Children who have a Mentally Ill Parent/s. Vic. inc. Australia

NNAAMI : We are the children breaking the silence
We are a group of people who have experienced life with a mentally ill parent.

Visit the new NNAAMI website and let us know what you think!

We established NNAAMI to provide assistance for one another, via self -help support, discussion and counselling groups. We also inform the community and government of our common needs and life experience. We may have some weekend gatherings in the country  - More information. Some suburban meetings may also be running in Melbourne.      Chat / Forum

Your special letter to mental health professional(s) and ways to deal with hospitalisation -Letter     -Management Plan
YOU ARE NOT ALONE!
The story of James:a teenager studying and alone, caring for his manic depressive mother. 
"The Loneliness and Trauma of Coping with the Mentally Ill".. 
James copes with cleaning the kitchen after a suicide attemp then having to cook for himself &study.

A Malvern family  "Coping with mental illness"

"Family Madnesses" The effects of being raised by a mentally ill parent -  hidden deep emotional scars. 
Tom - A boy of 9 fears he may be strangled by his mother,
Quotes from peoplewith MI parent/s.
TV-SBS "Insight" - "families of the mentally ill: families that the federal and state health authorities don't want to know" - shown Thursday 9 Oct.1996 .  People talked of the many affects of a mentally ill parent.  We are  Incorporated in Victoria and are looking for any assistance to promote our cause and enable more people to participate. HELP NEEDED 

AIMS and Objectives of our group : 
NNAAMI is seeking government funding in each state. Please write to government in support of us.  (Information in this site does not describe how NNAAMI organizes services) 
Presentations from NNAAMI are available to interested funding bodies. 

 Best Practice Service Standard and,
'Resources Required from Government's

Rex's Resource List

Book Reviews

Charter of Rights

Donations

Documentaries & Films

'Hall of Fame'

Write a Poem

'Say that again'

Media Topics Reports

The Trophy Awards

Pamphlet (Download)

'Toys and Hope' Appeal

Contacts
Mr Paul Mckillop. Convenor NNAAMI.
Phone / Fax +61 3 98893095. 
Mail; NNAAMI P.O. Box. 213. Glen Iris. 3146. 
Melbourne, Victoria. Australia. 
email - Contact page
(You must specify the following subject line: NN Contact)

Other Internet Sites for Information
(we do not necessarily endorse them)


NNAAMI Acknowledges the following organisations.

Initial web site construction:
NNAAMI acknowledges the Work of Elizabeth a volunteer who devoted many hours in constructing and assisting with the NNAAMI web site.

NNAAMI Web Site Development Program.
NNAAMI gratefully acknowledges the technical support of Swinburne University, Victoria, Australia and in particular Volunteer IT Consultantancy, web development and technical support provided by:
Andrew Spinks.

This web site got 244 readers last week!
Generating about 50 emails a day!

Online counselling would be a 
great service if we had funding!

WEB SITE SPONSORED BY VICNET 
 



POST YOUR  STORY - WORLD WIDE"BULLETIN BOARD" 
STRANDED IN THE CUCKOO’S NEST    By "Anna"
With fragments of the past creating tiny fissures in my mask of cultivated calm, I struggle to retain my composure as I listen to other people ‘deconstruct’ the concept of mental illness. One by one the idiotic intellectual abstractions ricochet across the tutorial room, each one penetrating my skin more deeply than the last: continued here

Bulletin Board Extra - The Leena Transcripts

"The 'forgotten' people suicide risk ignored' :
A Deakin University psychologist is shocked the State Government's Suicide Prevention Taskforce has  ignored the high risk of suicide by children of mentally ill parents.

"Trapped in the hell of their parent's suffering"
"The physical damage is all too obvious; the girl's legs and arms are swathed in bandages... The invisible scars are more elusive, they reveal themselves when she sleeps. Then, she relives over and over the moment when her already chaotic world became a nightmare."
By Julie-Anne Davies in The Melbourne Age  10 March 2002

"Raised on Madness"
"You push me away when I come near.
I'm scared of you Mummy dear"
The Australian 's  feature 31 March 2000 

Families kept in dark: group
By Caroline Milburn  in The Melbourne Age 29 August  2002
Psychiatric hospital personell frequently refuse to let families know about the treatment of relatives, according to NNAAMI which is urging the State government to change the law. 

Call to aid children of the mentally ill
Children of mentally ill parents continue to be neglected despite government reports since 1993 highlighting their higher suicide risk, according to a national welfare group.
By Caroline Milburn The Melbourne Age   29 August 2000

When mental illness tests a family, support  makes a big difference. Teenager, Dan tells Vic. parliament how  his schizophrenic mother affects his life at home and school. The Melbourne Age 30 October 2000. 

Depressed children missing out on treatment;  The mental health system is failing some children, experts warn.

Some depressed children at serious risk of suicide   are not being psychiatrically treated because of difficulties gaining consent in the mental health system, says a national welfare body. (NNAAMI).. By Chloe Saltau 
FOR PROFESSIONALS
"Unfortunately, families, professionals and society often pay most attention to the mentally ill parent, and ignore the children in the family. Providing more attention and support to the children of a psychiatrically ill parent is an important way to help prevent mental illnesses from passing from one generation to the next." American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry.
Contact page
You are invited to join in email Professional Discussion, for Professional Mental Health and Welfare professionals. All you need is an email address and email Paul Mckillop with the SUBJECT as "NN Professional Disc" to Contact page NNAAMI supports some secondary consultation for mental health and welfare professionals. Please sign off your email stating your Full Name, Country, Local Area, Profession, area of work / agency / organisation.
Effective Communication : 
guidelines for communicating effectively with young people/children  who have a mentally ill parent.  Our seminar   for  health, mental health and welfare professionals was held 20 March 2000, Melbourne, "What it's really like..."
Referrals to NNAAMI

Please fill out the INFO SHEET Referral form for self referrals and professional use

  Youth Link

Letters to Federal Government: Submission to Vic government:
Urgent funding is required for a vital program to reach and support isolated young people at risk.

Youth Link
NNAAMI Achievements

from Desperation to Action

Official Opening of the NNAAMI Internet site
by the Minister for Health

'Jobs in Mental Health' International

Stats on
Statistics on
Mental Illness / Conditions
Prevalence of mental disorders, population statistics.

Stats on Young People
Number of young people with mentally ill parents Aust.

Stats on Scans the Brain
Via Brain Scans, Mental illness Observations of Medication

Stats on Ethical
"no specific legislation drafted to prevent discrimination based on genetic information, Aust"
Write to NNAAMI and govts and tell us what you think

Kids Fun - GAMES

KIDS GAMES - PLAYGROUND ABC www.abc.net.au/children/
BOB THE www.bobthebuilder.com/
THE WIGGLES www.thewiggles.com.au/games/play.html
BUBBLEGUMCLUB www.bubblegumclub.com/
SESAME STREET www.sesameworkshop.org/sesamestreet/?scrollerId=games

SUPPORTERS
Churches of Christ.
The Churches of Christ Women's Fellowship, Victoria and Tasmania, 

Rotary Club North Dandenong.

The Anglican Church in Australia. Primate Keith Raynewrote to The Victorian Government in support of NNAAMI's work and NNAAMI's need for funding. 
Uniting Church in Australia. 
The assembly. wrote to the Federal Minister for Health, and The Mental Health Branch1 Canberra., in support of NNAAMI work and of NNAAMI's need for funding. 
The Baptist Union. Victoria. 
Mr John Simpson, The General Superintendent Baptist Union Victoria. wrote to The Minister For Health Victoria. in support of NNAAMI work and of NNAAMI's Need for funding. 

The Catholic Arch Bishop of Melbourne, Most Reverend George Pell, wrote to government in support of NNAAMI 

Churches or individual churches,  Businesses,and  Service clubs are also invited  to support NNAAMI. 
contact Paul 
at Contact page
Organisation Supporters

N.B. All items on this site remain the property of NNAAMI. Permission is granted to duplicate and distribute any items on this site provided you acknowledge the source. However, written permission is required for reproduction in public forums / conferences.