What is the Main Purpose of this Blog?
Firstly, I would like to clarify what this Blog or Forum is NOT about. Then I will discuss what we hope to achieve from this site.
What this site is NOT:
- It is not meant be "therapy" but merely as an educational tool to "supplement" one's management with their health professional under their guidance,and also to help raise awareness and hence, encourage people to seek help early.
- Advice is not for a specific individual but more for the "general" population.
What this site IS and what it is aiming to achieve:
- We aim to break down the stigma of mental health.
- We aim to provide information on Mental Health issues with particular emphasis on depression and anxiety, but will also explore Obsessive Compulsive Disorders, Panic Disorders, Bipolar, Asperger's/Autistic Spectrum Disorders, Children's Behavioural Issues, and any other mental health conditions related to depression and anxiety. We would also like to promote positive psychology and a better understanding of happiness and resilience, in order to prevent anxiety and depression.
- Education on parenting as there is clear evidence that better parenting skills will lead to less parenting stress and hence, will help with depression and anxiety.
- Education about resilience, psychological flexibility, and emotional intelligence for kids in order to prevent depression and anxiety.
- Better awareness of mental health issues through psychoeducation, case studies, thoughts inspired from my interactions with my patients during my "daytime job" as a Family Doctor, my interactions with other Mental Health Professionals, and through life in general.
- Through this blog, we are in essence, "planting multiple seeds" out there and hopefully, one day, through your own interactions with your Doctor,Therapist, friends, families, or life in general, things may fall into place just like a jigsaw puzzle. When it happens, some people describe it as a "light bulb moment" or, some simply describe it as, "I get it now !". It may happen now, tomorrow or sometime in the future. We cannot guarantee you when and if it will occur, but it is our deepest hope that it will happen to you soon.
- On this site, through book suggestions powered by Amazon.com, we are hoping to provide over time, a collection of good self help books recommend by myself, other Mental Health Professionals and sometimes, the patients themselves who have found a particular book useful. This will serve as a "starting guide or suggestion" but I would urge you to talk to your Health Professionals regarding the appropriateness of these books for your particular situation. In my clinical practice, I often ask my patients to consider self help books as an "adjunct" to therapy but not usually, "just the book by itself" as therapy. The site receives a small commission on the sale of these books through Amazon.com.
- Last but not least, through this blog platform, we will extend our invitation to Doctors, Psychologists, Occupational Therapists, Pharmacists and other Allied Health Professionals to share with us their insights, knowledge, expertise and perspective on this such important topic of resilience, depression and anxiety. It is my hope that through a collaborative approach, we will be much more effective in combatting this local and worldwide problem.
Dr Vinh Tran (Dr Vin)
MBBS FRACGP UQ Qld Australia
Accredited TripleP Provider
Mentor for Medical Students @ UQ, Griffith and Bond University
Supervisor for GP trainees/Registrars
Speaker
Workshop Facilitator for Corporates, Schools and other organisations
Co-founder of HealthProXchange
Director and founder of Perpetual Health
Co-Director @ Priority Health Medical Centre
