Depression and recovery in Australia

Advisory Panel

Professor Sue Ziebland
Research Director, Health Experiences Research Group, Oxford University 
Dr Lorraine Smith 
Senior Lecturer, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Sydney 
Dr John Furler
Senior Research Fellow, Department of General Practice, University of Melbourne; General Practitioner
Dr Caroline Johnson 
General Practitioner
Professor Jane Gunn 
Head, Department of General Practice, University of Melbourne; General Practitioner
Dr Nicole Highet 
Deputy CEO and Perinatal / Community Awareness Advisor, beyondblue: the national depression initiative 
Mrs Huong Tran
Vietnamese Interpreter, North Richmond Community Health Centre
Ms Halina Bluzer
Academic Services Co-ordinator, Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology, School of Engineering (TAFE)
Mr Paul Walshe 
blueVoices representative

​Acknowledgements
 
Thanks to project co-investigators: Professor Sue Ziebland (Research Director, Health Experiences Research Group, Oxford University, UK), Dr Nicole Highet (beyondblue: the national depression initiative, Australia) and Professor Jane Gunn (Department of General Practice, the University of Melbourne, Australia).

Thanks to organisations: beyondblue: the national depression initiative , blueVoices - beyondblue's national consumer and carer reference group, and GROW Western Australia – peer support for mental health.

beyondblue: the national depression initiative is a national, not for profit organisation in Australia established in 2000 to provide leadership to reduce the impact of depression and anxiety in the Australian community.  beyondblue works with people who have experienced depression and/or anxiety, their families and carers to inform all beyondblue’s programs and activities, guide policy development and advocacy.  A key focus of beyondblue is to research and promote the experiences of people who have lived with depression and/or anxiety. The aim of telling these real-life stories is to educate the wider community about the impact the illness can have on people’s lives, to promote the benefits of seeking help, and to share their experiences of hope and recovery. beyondblue is very grateful for all the help and support received in producing this module.

Thanks to individuals: Special thanks are extended to all people who shared with us their stories of experiences of depression and recovery to inform the development of this website, to Kate Johnston-Ata’ata, Coordinator, ARC Linkage Project 'Experiences of Depression and Recovery' and Nicholas Hill, the project’s research assistants for their significant contribution  to this work, to Lorraine Smith for help with data collection  and comments on topic summaries, to Caroline Johnson, John Furler and Louise Howe for help with the recruitment of research participants, and to the Advisory Panel for their guidance and feedback as the project progressed.

Thanks also to Dr Martin Zinkernagel for the use of his photographs of Australian wildflowers.

Supported by:
beyondblue: the national depression initiative
Australian Research Council (ARC) Linkage Project (LP 0990229)
      Monash University