Youth Health - "Help is just a phone call, an e-mail or a website away"

At today's National Youth Health Summit in Canberra, AMA President, Dr Kerryn Phelps, and the Commonwealth Bank's Mr Paul Rae launched a new information kit to help young people cope with and learn about some of the major health concerns they will encounter in 21st century Australia.

The kit contains:

• A Depression 'help line' poster. Designed by Miranda Costa, a client of Clockwork, the Young People's Health Service, the eye-catching poster lists contact numbers and website addresses for Lifeline and various youth groups who provide advice and counselling to counter depression.

   

  Alcohol and Your Health brochure - vital information to help young people be responsible with alcohol

• Food brochure - a guide to healthy eating
• Gambling and your health brochure - advice to control the gambling urge
• Sex and your health brochure- help in making individual decisions about sex, with advice on contraception, sexually transmissible infections, safer sex, and health checks
• Drugs brochure - information on legal drugs, illegal drugs, prescribed medications, and how to detect signs of having a drug problem
• Smoking brochure - debunks any myths about smoking being cool, and outlines why smoking is dangerous to everyone's health
• Feeling Down brochure - lists the causes of depression and tells young people when and where to get help
• Stress brochure - explains stress, what causes it, how to cope with it, and how to eliminate it from your life
• Fitness brochure - tips on how to look good, feel good, and how to get started on the path to fitness and good health
• Doctors brochure - helps young people overcome any fear they may have in visiting a doctor about their health. Outlines how doctors can be healers, listeners and friends when a young person is under physical or mental pressure.

Dr Phelps said the information kit is designed to provide links to the broader community for young people seeking help and advice with their physical and mental health.

"With this kit, help is just a phone call, an e-mail or a website away," Dr Phelps said.

The Summit is an initiative of the Commonwealth Bank and AMA Youth Health Advocate Program. The AMA Youth Health Advocate, Joanne Murray, can be contacted on 6270 5447. The poster and the brochures will be available from GPs, youth health services, and the AMA. The Commonwealth Bank will circulate the kit to all their young employees.

26 July 2001

CONTACT: John Flannery (02) 6270 5477 / (0419) 494 761

Sarah Crichton (02) 6270 5493 / (0419) 440 076