Sunday, February 14, 2010

All in the Mind - Hearing Voices

I'm not sure how I did not post it when it was new, but I listened to it yesterday while I was running errands. All I can say is WOW. The suffering of the one young woman they talk to, Mel, is heart-breaking.

Hearing Voices: stories from the coalface

Mel was dux of her high school with bright prospects. At 25, she needs 24-hour family care, persecuted by a violent voice in her head who she calls Ron. Journalist Tom Tilley takes us to meet Mel and her family for a rare, raw and intimate insight into the experience of hearing voices; and reports on current uncertainty over causes and treatments.

Show Transcript | Hide Transcript

Video

Triple J Reporter Tom Tilley has prepared a special video feature about Mel's experiences, to accompany the audio feature broadcast on All in the Mind. [See below]

Warning: This video story contains disturbing material. If you need support or are distressed, Lifeline operates a 24/7 telephone counselling service across Australia. Details below.

Comments welcome on the All in the Mind blog, here. Email addresses are not published.

[Music: Lily Allen, 'Fuck you']

Guests

Tom Tilley
Reporter for Hack,
Triple J
ABC
http://www.abc.net.au/triplej/people/tom_tilley.htm

Mel
25-year-old woman, based in New South Wales
Australia

Bruce
Mel's father

Faye
Mel's mum

Tara
Mel's friend

Kat
Member of the Hearing Voices group in Perth
Australia

Professor Vaughan Carr
Chair in Schizophrenia Epidemiology and Population Health
University of New South Wales
CEO, Schizophrenia Research Institute
http://www.schizophreniaresearch.org.au/

John Watkins
Author and counsellor
Former psychiatric nurse

Further Information

Lifeline, Australia
24 hour phone counselling service Ph 13 11 14

All in the Mind blog - for your comments and discussion
It's easy to do, just fill in the Comments form under the relevant blog post (email addresses are not published)

Hack on Triple J (the ABC's youth network)
Hack is Triple J's daily current affairs show

Triple J website of this feature

The Voices Within...
Broadcast on All in the Mind, ABC Radio National, 2006

Angels and Demons
Aired on ABC TV, 2008

Schizophrenia Research Institute

SANE Australia
Information and helpline about mental health

Hearing Voices Network, Australia

Voices Vic Network
Launched in 2009

Hearing Voices Network, Western Australia

Hearing Voices Network, New South Wales, Australia

Intervoice: the international network for hearing voices

Publications

Title: Hearing voices: A common experience
Author: John Watkins
Publisher: Michelle Anderson Publishing, 2008
ISBN-10: 0855723904

Presenter

Natasha Mitchell

Here is the blog entry for the podcast, which includes the video from the interview.

Hearing voices: stories from the coalface

This week's program is a feature prepared by an ABC colleague, Tom Tilley, who reports for our youth network Triple J and their fantastic daily current affairs show, Hack.

You'll meet 25 year old Mel, whose experience of hearing voices, one persecutory voice in particular, is profoundly harrowing and debilitating, and who shares her story with overwhelming candour and rawness. You'll also meet Kat, who shares a different experience of working with the voices within.

Our hearts goes out to Mel and her family, as they navigate the possibilities for finding the most suitable support, care and approach to helping her.

Tune into the show on the All in the Mind website here, and we've posted a stack of extra resources and links there too.

As promised, here's a special video production from Tom to accompany the audio feature.

A reminder that Lifeline operates a free, 24 hour counselling line in Australia. The nation-wide number is 131114.

SANE Australia also operates a helpline 1800 18 SANE (7263) for those in need of mental health advice.

We'd love to hear your thoughts and stories here on the All in the Mind blog (click on the comments link, or fill out the comments form below. Email addresses are not made public).

There've been a flurry of thoughtful responses and caring words for Mel and her family over on the Triple J site too (here and here and here).

Moving... hard...just plain hard.

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