Mental Health and Addiction

It’s one thing to be able to reframe a rainy day, but what if the issue is deeper than that? Could the research in drug and alcohol addictions be applied to other areas of mental health as well?

It’s a pretty common situation – Have a stressful day at work, reach for a glass of wine at night – but when does that ‘solution’ contribute to an even bigger problem, and are there techniques to treat the cause underneath it all, instead of using alcohol to self-soothe the symptoms?

Alcohol consumption is very deeply entrenched in Australian culture, and for some, exposure starts at an early age. Having a drink is normalised behaviour associated with everyday social events, but substances like alcohol, drugs and even sugar can have greater negative impacts on our lives. Stepping away from these habits takes a different, focused approach, in which one size doesn’t necessarily fit all.

In this episode of Reframe of Mind, Louise and Andy’s mental health journey includes a conversation with Professor Maree Teesson AC, Director of the Matilda Centre, to explore the nature of addiction, the research that is leading to techniques that help teenagers form a healthy relationship to alcohol consumption, and how some of these techniques might help us in combating other issues that challenge us on a mental level.

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Professor Maree Teesson AC is Director of the Matilda Centre, Director of the NHMRC Centre of Research Excellence in Prevention and Early Intervention in Mental Illness and Substance Use, and an NHMRC Leadership Fellow at the University of Sydney.  She is a Former National Mental Health Commissioner, an Australian Academy of Health and Medical Sciences Fellow, a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Social Sciences and is the Chair of Australia’s Mental Health Think Tank. She was announced as a Companion of the Order of Australia in 2018 Honours List, awarded a Westpac/Australian Financial Review 100 Women of Influence for Innovation, and awarded an Australian Museum Eureka Prize as Outstanding Mentor of Young Researchers.

Maree has made a major contribution to Australia’s health and medical research effort in the field of mental health and substance use. In particular, she is known nationally and internationally for her research on the comorbidity between mental health and substance use disorders.

The Matilda Centre for Research in Mental Health and Substance Use is a multidisciplinary research centre committed to improving the health and wellbeing of people affected by co-occurring substance use and mental disorders. It was established in 2018, and aims to generate innovative and workable solutions to address substance use and mental disorders, which are currently the leading global causes of burden and disease in young people.

For the full show notes and transcript go to www.reframeofmind.com.au

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