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FACT SHEET 29

Separated parents

and tough times

F e fat www.beyondblue.org.au beyondblue info line 1300 22 4636 of 3

TAking CArE oF yourSElF iS imporTAnT

Major changes in relationships, such as separation, can be a

trigger or depression. Thats why the Child Support Agency

andbeyondblue: the national depression initiative have joined

orces to raise awareness o:

the risks and impact o depression on separating parents

the importance o looking ater yoursel

where to go or help.

Separation can be a tough time. Parents who are separating

ace big changes in their lie, such as:

moving house

spending more or less time with their children

having less money to spend.

They may also go through stages o eeling angry, guilty, lonely

or uncertain about the uture.

Taking care o yoursel is importantor youand or those

around you.

gETTing THrougH THE TougH TimES

There are a number o things you can do to help get through

dicult times.

Get into a new routine put aside enough time to manage

new household and child care arrangements.

Get support identiy riends, amily and support groups.

Stay healthy eat healthy meals, exercise regularly, get a

good nights sleep and avoid drugs and alcohol. This will

help both physical tness and mental health.

Learn to manage stress simple things, like keeping a diary

o eelings and practising breathing and muscle-relaxation

techniques can help.

Take time out make an eort to participate in enjoyable

activities.

WHAT iS dEprESSion?

How to tell if youre depressed and not just sad

Sometimes it can be hard to know whether you are just

eeling down because o all the changes, or you have symptoms

o depression.

Depression checklist

You may be depressed i or more than TWO WEEKS you have:

Felt sad, down or miserable most o the time.

Lost interest or pleasure in most o your usual activities.

I the answer isYES to either o these questions, complete the

symptom checklist on the next page.

I the answer isNOT yes to either o these questions, it is

unlikely that you have a depressive illness.

Have you:

Lost or gained a lot o weight OR

Had a decrease or increase in appetite.

Had disturbed sleep.

Felt slowed down, restless or excessively busy.

Felt tired or had no energy.

Felt worthless OR

Felt excessively guilty OR

Felt guilty about things you should not eel guilty about.

Had poor concentration OR

Had diculties thinking OR

Been very indecisive.

Had recurrent thoughts o death.

Add up the number o ticks or the total score: _______

Its important to note that scores provide only a rough guide as to

whether someone has depression. I you have ticked ve or more

o these statements, you should consult a health proessional.

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Separated parents

and tough times

F e fat www.beyondblue.org.au beyondblue info line 1300 22 4636 of 3 of

WHAT puTS A pErSon AT riSk oF

dEprESSion?

There are a number o actors that can lead to a person

developing depression.These include:

amily confict

interpersonal confict

recent losses and disappointment.

As well as adjusting to lie ater separation, the risk o

depression may be increased by:

a amily history o mental health problems

drug and alcohol abuse

brain and chemical changes

other medical illnesses or treatments

personality type.

HoW Common iS dEprESSion?Depression is very common. About one million Australian adults

live with depression each year. On average, one in six men and

one in our women will experience depression in their adult

lietime.

TrEATmEnT For dEprESSion

It is important to remember that depression is a treatable

illness that you can recover rom. There is a range o eective

treatments including:

Psychological treatments help a person to changenegative thoughts and eelings and learn new ways to react

to people and situations. This can help recovery and prevent

depression rom returning.

Medication depression is oten associated with an imbalance

o certain chemicals in the brain and, or some people,

medication may be required. Antidepressant medication helps

rebalance these chemicals. Antidepressants can take 721

days to work eectively and should not be started or stopped

without medical advice.

WHErE To gET HElp

A doctor who is a General Practitioner (GP) is a good rst

step. In some cases, you may be reerred to a mental health

specialist like a psychiatrist or psychologist. For a list o GPs

with expertise in treating depression, anxiety and related

drug and alcohol problems visit www.bebe..a

and click on Get Help.

Psychiatrists are doctors who specialise in mental health.Theycan make medical and psychological assessments, conduct

medical tests and prescribe medication. Some psychiatrists

use psychological treatments.To see a psychiatrist, you need

to get a reerral rom a GP.

Psychologists specialise in providing non-medical

(psychological) treatment or depression and related disorders.

To nd a psychologist go to www.bebe..a and

click on Get Help.

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FACT SHEET 29

Separated parents

and tough times

F e fat www.beyondblue.org.au beyondblue info line 1300 22 46363 of 3

oTHEr uSEFul ConTACTS

Mensline Australia

1300 789 978

www.menslineaus.org.au

National 24 hour support or men acing challenges as a result o

amily breakdown or separation. This service is unded by FaCSIA

and is staed by proessional counsellors at the cost o a local

call. Inormation, reerral and call back service is also available.

Suicide Helpline Victoria

1300 651 251 (Victoria only)

www.suicidehelpline.org.au

24 hour counselling, crisis intervention, inormation and reerral.

Lifeline

131 114

www.lifeline.org.au

24 hour counselling.

Please note: Extra charges apply to calls made rom mobile and public phones.

Child Support Agency

The Child Support Agency (CSA) works to ensure that children

can rely on their parents or the nancial and emotional support

they require or their wellbeing. Separation can be a dicult

time or amilies and CSA is committed to working with others

to provide support and services to separated parents. CSA has

a range o products and services to help parents dealing with

separation including:

Dealing with Separation an interactive CD where people

share their experiences o separation.

Me and My series of booklets tips and hints on:

building relationships with children and ex-partners

money issues

emotional well-being

new relationships.

Staying Connected Program a workplace program

providing strategies and solutions or separated dads to stay

connected with their children. For more inormation contact

stayingconnected@csa.gov.au

To order ree CSA products and publications visit

www.csa.gov.au or call 1800 040 972.

For inormation about child support contact 131 272.

Family Relationship Advice Line

1800 050 321

People rom amilies aected by relationship or separation

issues can get inormation and reerral to support services, and

advice about parenting arrangements ater separation.

Please note: Extra charges apply to calls made rom mobile and public phones.

Family Relationships Online

www.familyrelationships.gov.au

Provides inormation about parenting arrangements ater

separation and about services that are available to help.

beyondblue: the national depression initiative , 2008.

PO Box 6100, Hawthorn West VIC 3122

T: (03) 9810 6100beyondblue ino line 1300 22 4636

F: (03) 9810 6111

E: bb@beyondblue.org.au

W: www.beyondblue.org.au

This act sheet was produced in association with