Help for bushfire victims in Vic

The Australian Government will provide further resources to aid the emotional and psychological recovery of bushfire affected families and communities in Victoria.

The Government has already provided a $7.5 million mental health package to assist bushfire survivors.

Two new DVDs on posttraumatic stress disorder and acute stress disorder, funded by the Australian Government have now been produced.

The DVDs were produced by the Australian Centre for Posttraumatic Mental Health (ACPMH) in collaboration with the Rural Health Education Foundation.

One is a resource for doctors and health practitioners, while the other is for individuals and families affected by trauma.

In the context of the fires, the Government and the ACPMH agreed to issue the DVDs as soon as possible and in greater numbers. There will now be 5,000 copies produced for practitioners and 7,000 copies for use in the community.

The DVDs will be distributed free of charge through the Rural Health Education Foundation and through the ACPMH.

The first DVD, for health practitioners, assists them in applying the national guidelines when treating patients with posttraumatic stress disorder. The second DVD helps patients to understand what they are experiencing and follow the treatment advised for them.

The Divisions of General Practice will receive a further $1.3 million for Access To Allied Psychological Services (ATAPS) services in 2009-2010 in recognition of the likely need for long term assistance to many people affected by the fires.

ATAPS services will be extended to people with persisting psychological symptoms, not just those diagnosed with a mental health disorder, and the normal cap of 12 sessions in one year will be lifted for bushfire survivors.

The mental health package builds on the work of social workers, psychologists and case managers who provided counselling and support through Centrelink immediately after the fires.