Beyondblue
Encyclopedia
beyondblue is an Australia
n non-profit organisation which aims to increase awareness and improve the treatment of depression
, bipolar disorder
, anxiety disorder
s and related mental disorders. beyondblue began in October 2000 as a five-year initiative of the Australian federal
and state and territory
governments after a period of public debate on the treatment of depression sufferers.
The chairman of beyondblue is Jeff Kennett AC
, former Premier of Victoria.
Many politicians have encouraged people to donate and get help if they are suffering from depression from beyondblue. These include former West Australian Premier Geoff Gallop
and John Brogden, former Opposition Leader for the New South Wales Liberal Party
.
Since 2006, the Australian Football League
has supported the organisation with the beyondblue Cup
awarded annually to the winner of clashes between the Geelong
and Hawthorn
football clubs.
Kennett also received criticism after he used Beyondblue's column in the Herald Sun
to oppose mandatory gambling limits, despite the fact that beyondblue's own research shows a clear link between gambling addiction and depression. Kennett refuses to give his chief executive prior warning of the content of Beyondblue's weekly column.
The Sydney Morning Herald
also reported that a former beyondblue staff member claims the organisation is in major turmoil, with large sums of money being spent on ineffective programs, morale at rock bottom and an exodus of disillusioned staff. Her claims came less than a week after beyondblue chief executive, Dawn O'Neil, resigned without explanation after just eight months in the role.
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n non-profit organisation which aims to increase awareness and improve the treatment of depression
Clinical depression
Major depressive disorder is a mental disorder characterized by an all-encompassing low mood accompanied by low self-esteem, and by loss of interest or pleasure in normally enjoyable activities...
, bipolar disorder
Bipolar disorder
Bipolar disorder or bipolar affective disorder, historically known as manic–depressive disorder, is a psychiatric diagnosis that describes a category of mood disorders defined by the presence of one or more episodes of abnormally elevated energy levels, cognition, and mood with or without one or...
, anxiety disorder
Anxiety disorder
Anxiety disorder is a blanket term covering several different forms of abnormal and pathological fear and anxiety. Conditions now considered anxiety disorders only came under the aegis of psychiatry at the end of the 19th century. Gelder, Mayou & Geddes explains that anxiety disorders are...
s and related mental disorders. beyondblue began in October 2000 as a five-year initiative of the Australian federal
Government of Australia
The Commonwealth of Australia is a federal constitutional monarchy under a parliamentary democracy. The Commonwealth of Australia was formed in 1901 as a result of an agreement among six self-governing British colonies, which became the six states...
and state and territory
States and territories of Australia
The Commonwealth of Australia is a union of six states and various territories. The Australian mainland is made up of five states and three territories, with the sixth state of Tasmania being made up of islands. In addition there are six island territories, known as external territories, and a...
governments after a period of public debate on the treatment of depression sufferers.
The chairman of beyondblue is Jeff Kennett AC
Jeff Kennett
Jeffrey Gibb Kennett AC , a former Australian politician, was the Premier of Victoria between 1992 and 1999. He is currently the President of Hawthorn Football Club. He is the founding Chairman of beyondblue, a national depression initiative.- Early life :Kennett was born in Melbourne on 2 March...
, former Premier of Victoria.
Many politicians have encouraged people to donate and get help if they are suffering from depression from beyondblue. These include former West Australian Premier Geoff Gallop
Geoff Gallop
Geoffrey Ian Gallop, AC is an Australian academic and former politician. He was the Premier of Western Australia from 2001 to 2006. He currently resides in Sydney.-Early life and education:...
and John Brogden, former Opposition Leader for the New South Wales Liberal Party
Liberal Party of Australia
The Liberal Party of Australia is an Australian political party.Founded a year after the 1943 federal election to replace the United Australia Party, the centre-right Liberal Party typically competes with the centre-left Australian Labor Party for political office...
.
Since 2006, the Australian Football League
Australian Football League
The Australian Football League is both the governing body and the major professional competition in the sport of Australian rules football...
has supported the organisation with the beyondblue Cup
Beyondblue Cup (AFL)
The Beyondblue Cup is awarded annually to the winner of games between the Geelong and Hawthorn football clubs in the Australian Football League.This trophy is not to be confused with;...
awarded annually to the winner of clashes between the Geelong
Geelong Football Club
The Geelong Football Club, nicknamed The Cats, is a professional Australian rules football club, named after and based in the city of Geelong, playing in the Australian Football League . The club has been the VFL/AFL premiers nine times, with a record equalling 3 in the AFL era. Geelong has also...
and Hawthorn
Hawthorn Football Club
The Hawthorn Football Club, nicknamed the Hawks, is a professional Australian rules football club in the Australian Football League . The club, founded in 1902, is the youngest of the Victorian-based teams in the AFL. The team play in Brown & Gold vertically striped guernseys...
football clubs.
Controversy
In October 2011, gay rights activists called for Jeff Kennett to resign as chairman of the charity following his comments that children have better mental health if raised in heterosexual marriages. Beyondblue staff, supporters and the gay and lesbian community have also reportedly been angry for years due to beyondblue's lack of programs addressing the high rates of suicide among young gays and lesbians.Kennett also received criticism after he used Beyondblue's column in the Herald Sun
Herald Sun
The Herald Sun is a morning tabloid newspaper based in Melbourne, Australia. It is published by The Herald and Weekly Times, a subsidiary of News Limited, itself a subsidiary of News Corporation. It is available for purchase throughout Melbourne, Regional Victoria, Tasmania, the Australian Capital...
to oppose mandatory gambling limits, despite the fact that beyondblue's own research shows a clear link between gambling addiction and depression. Kennett refuses to give his chief executive prior warning of the content of Beyondblue's weekly column.
The Sydney Morning Herald
The Sydney Morning Herald
The Sydney Morning Herald is a daily broadsheet newspaper published by Fairfax Media in Sydney, Australia. Founded in 1831 as the Sydney Herald, the SMH is the oldest continuously published newspaper in Australia. The newspaper is published six days a week. The newspaper's Sunday counterpart, The...
also reported that a former beyondblue staff member claims the organisation is in major turmoil, with large sums of money being spent on ineffective programs, morale at rock bottom and an exodus of disillusioned staff. Her claims came less than a week after beyondblue chief executive, Dawn O'Neil, resigned without explanation after just eight months in the role.