Mental Illness Fellowship of Australia
Encyclopedia
Mental Illness Fellowship Australia (MIFA) is a national mental health
organisation in Australia
. Its key activities involve advocacy for the rights of mentally ill people and providing the community with the latest information concerning mental illness
. It also aims at bringing out the stigma
attached to mental illness in modern society.
As time went on, the organisation became more and more sophisticated, moving into community education and advocacy. MIFA was formally formed in 1995, under the name Schizophrenia Fellowships' Council of Australia. The name was changed in November 2001, to reflect MIFA's growing role.
Combined, these organisations have approximately 15,000 members across Australia.
The project originated as an initiative of the Mental Illness Fellowship of Victoria that, after a successful trial run in 2004, is being implemented in other MIFA member organisations across Australia.
Mental health
Mental health describes either a level of cognitive or emotional well-being or an absence of a mental disorder. From perspectives of the discipline of positive psychology or holism mental health may include an individual's ability to enjoy life and procure a balance between life activities and...
organisation in Australia
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...
. Its key activities involve advocacy for the rights of mentally ill people and providing the community with the latest information concerning mental illness
Mental illness
A mental disorder or mental illness is a psychological or behavioral pattern generally associated with subjective distress or disability that occurs in an individual, and which is not a part of normal development or culture. Such a disorder may consist of a combination of affective, behavioural,...
. It also aims at bringing out the stigma
Social stigma
Social stigma is the severe disapproval of or discontent with a person on the grounds of characteristics that distinguish them from other members of a society.Almost all stigma is based on a person differing from social or cultural norms...
attached to mental illness in modern society.
History
MIFA history can be traced back to 1986 as an association of Schizophrenia Fellowships around Australia. In its early days, MIFA acted as an easy way for state-based organisations to keep in contact with each other and exchange information and the latest research relating to mental illness.As time went on, the organisation became more and more sophisticated, moving into community education and advocacy. MIFA was formally formed in 1995, under the name Schizophrenia Fellowships' Council of Australia. The name was changed in November 2001, to reflect MIFA's growing role.
Members
State-based organisations that are members of Mental Illness Fellowship of Australia- Canberra Schizophrenia Fellowship
- Mental Illness Fellowship of the ACT (MIFACT)
- Schizophrenia Fellowship of NSW
- Mental Illness Fellowship of North Queensland
- Mental Illness Fellowship of Queensland
- Mental Illness Fellowship of Victoria
- Northern Territory Association of Relatives & Friends of the Mentally Ill
- Mental Illness Fellowship of South Australia
- Mental Illness Fellowship of Western Australia
Combined, these organisations have approximately 15,000 members across Australia.
Services
Nationally, MIFA is rolling out the Well Ways program, designed to offer support to families and friends of people with mental illness by providing education and support mechanisms.The project originated as an initiative of the Mental Illness Fellowship of Victoria that, after a successful trial run in 2004, is being implemented in other MIFA member organisations across Australia.