VES Australian Mental Health Resources

Your One Stop Shop for Mental Health Help

(Most of the information below has been copied from various pages on the DVA website, and has been collated here and prioritised for ease of access and understanding. Please share this link with anyone who may require quick and easy access to Australian Mental Health Reference Material.)

Who do I contact if I, or someone I know, needs help now?

If you need immediate emergency assistance:
  • Call 000
  • For immediate counselling, advice and support

  • Open Arms — Veterans & Families Counselling (24/7): 1800 011 046 
  • Lifeline (24/7): 13 11 14 , or text 0477 13 11 14 between 6pm and midnight, 7 days a week
  • Suicide Call Back Service (24/7): 1300 659 467

  • Contact your GP or a mental health professional to discuss longer-term support options.

    Veteran Access to mental health treatment

    Anvil have written an article on this, found here: https://anviltd.com/blogs/news/before-its-too-late-accessing-mental-health-support-as-an-adf-veteran

    Current and former Australian Defence Force (ADF) personnel, including some Reservists without continuous full-time service, can access treatment for any mental health condition through DVA's Non-Liability Health Care program.

    Check your eligibility.

    Open Arms — Veterans & Families Counselling

    All veterans with at least one day continuous full time service (CFTS) and their immediate family members are entitled to free confidential mental health support services for life through Open Arms — Veterans & Families Counselling.

    For help, information or to check eligibility for the Open Arms — Veterans & Families Counselling contact them on 1800 011 046 or visit Open Arms — Veterans & Families Counselling.

    For additional information, go to:

  • Veteran Mental and Social Health Strategies
  • Factsheet — HSV99 — Mental Health Support
  • Start the Journey Back to Good Mental Health video
  • Mental Health private hospitals

  • Swiss 8 Mobile App - Available Now 

    (Anvil Note: Not DVA Affiliated)

    https://swiss8.org/

    Swiss 8 have built a digital program that teaches veterans and civilians alike, how to implement 8 core principles of health and lifestyle. This research based app is designed to reduce anxiety and help you & your workforce, get motivated and be better at life. Swiss 8 is run by Australian Veterans, and is a non-profit organisation.

    The Swiss 8 App is downloadable from the iOS App Store and Android Google Play.

    High Res mobile app and website

    High Res is a new suite of resources to support the mental health and wellbeing of serving and ex-serving ADF members and their families.
    The High Res website and companion app offers interactive tools and self-help resources to help users cope better with stress, build resilience and bounce back from tough situations. The website also provides a personal 'dashboard' where users can develop a resilience plan, set goals and track their progress.  

    The High Res website is available on DVA's AT-Ease mental health portal.

    The High Res app is free from the iOS App Store and Android Google Play.

    Operation Life—Keep Calm, Stay Safe

    The new Operation Life mobile application (app) is designed to help those at risk deal with suicidal thoughts and is recommended to be used with the support of a clinician.  The app provides on-the-go access to emergency and professional support and self-help tools to help users regain control, keep calm and take action to stay safe.  The app also contains web links to online resources, including information on suicide awareness, prevention training and counselling. 

    The app is available free from the App Store or Google Play.

    Note: some features of this app may not be accessible on earlier model iOS and Android phones.

    For more information about suicide awareness and prevention see the Operation Life Online website.

    Mates 4 Mates 

    (Anvil Note: Not DVA Affiliated)

    https://mates4mates.org/contact-us/

    Mates4Mates provides evidence-based individual and group therapy services to our Mates and their immediate family members, delivered by qualified professionals.

    Non-VES Specific Mental Health Contact Numbers

    Mental Health Emergency Response Line

    1300 555 788 (Metro) or 1800 676 822 (Peel)

    Rurallink

    1800 552 002

    Lifeline

    13 11 14, or text 0477 13 11 14 between 6pm and midnight, 7 days a week

    beyondblue

    1300 224 636

    Suicide Call Back Service*

    1300 659 467

    Men's Line Australia*

    1300 789 978

    Kids Helpline*

    1800 551 800 (5 to 25 year olds) or 1800 654 432 (parents)

    Youthbeyondblue 

    1300 224 636 (12-25 year olds)

    Alcohol and Drug Support Line

    08 9442 5000 or 1800 198 024 (Country Toll Free)

    VES Specific Help-Line

    Open Arms

    1800 011 046.

    Veteran suicide prevention – DVA information, support and research

    Facts about suicide in Australia

    Data published by the Australian Bureau of Statistics shows that suicide is the leading cause of death in people aged 15 to 44. In Australia, there were 2,864 deaths from intentional self-harm in 2014, resulting in a ranking as the 13th leading cause of all deaths. Approximately three quarters (75.4 per cent) of people who died by suicide were male, making suicide the 10th leading cause of death for males.

    Suicide prevention

    Any suicide is tragic — as a community there are actions we can take to minimise the likelihood of death by suicide.

    DVA provides suicide awareness and prevention support for current and ex-serving ADF personnel and their families who are experiencing or have been affected by the thoughts or actions of suicide.

    DVA support

    Any suicide is tragic — as a community there are actions we can take to minimise the likelihood of death by suicide. 
    DVA provides suicide awareness and prevention support for  current and ex-serving ADF personnel and their families who are experiencing or have been affected by the thoughts or actions of suicide. DVA’s comprehensive suicide awareness and prevention strategy is known as Operation Life.

    Operation Life workshops are run Australia-wide by Open Arms – Veterans & Families Counselling. These workshops equip you with the skills and confidence to identify the signs of suicide, start the conversation about suicide, and link into appropriate help. By learning these skills you may help to reduce the risk of suicide in your community.The workshops are available free to anyone in the ex-service community. You do not have to be eligible for Open Arms services to attend Operation Life workshops. To register your interest, call 1800 011 046 in business hours or visit Open Arms

    The Operation Life Online website is designed to help you understand the warning signs of suicide and provides information and resources to help you keep calm and take action to stay safe, advice on how to offer help to someone else and stories from those touched by suicide. Information and support options are also available on the site if you have been affected by suicide.

    The Operation Life mobile app is designed to help those at risk deal with suicidal thoughts and is recommended to be used with the support of a clinician. The app provides on-the-go access to emergency and professional support and self-help tools to help you regain control, keep calm and take action to stay safe. The app also contains web links to online resources, including information on suicide awareness, prevention training and counselling. The app is available free from the App Store or Google Play.

    Support is also available 24/7 through Open Arms on 1800 011 046. Open Arms provides free confidential counselling to members of the veteran and ex-service community who need support. 

    Additionally, DVA can provide access to clinical services and also has the High Res website and app to support the mental health and wellbeing of serving and ex-serving ADF members and their families. 

    For additional information on DVA’s and Open Arms’s range of mental health services and support go to:

  • AT-Ease 
  • Open Arms
  • DVA's mental health information.
  • Serving and ex-serving personnel and families

    AT-Ease is DVA's portal to online mental health information. It provides self-help tools and information to support mental health and wellbeing and is a gateway to websites and free mobile apps about stress, PTSD, alcohol management, resilience and suicide awareness and prevention. The portal also links to a wide range of mental health resources for health professionals and GPs for effective assessment and evidence-based treatment of veterans.

    PTSD Group Programs

    DVA provides group treatment programs for PTSD in hospitals across Australia. These programs treat current as well as former serving members of the Australian Defence Force and veterans. To find out more information about these programs you can contact the hospitals directly and speak to the PTSD program coordinators. A list of the programs and relevant contact details are available under "PTSD Group Programs" on AT-Ease.

    The Right Mix

    The new look The Right Mix website includes self-help tools, useful strategies and motivational goals to help users learn about how to achieve a healthy balance between alcohol consumption, diet and exercise. The new interactive tools can help you:   

    • learn about possible health effects from alcohol consumption
    • identify your drinking levels
    • commit to an action plan and set goals to reduce drinking
    • track drinks collected through the ON TRACK with The Right Mix mobile app.

    The companion ON TRACK with The Right Mix app is free from the App Store and Google Play.

    Health Providers

    Mental Health practitioners can access information on providing services to the ex-service community, resources and professional development via the AT-Ease Professional website.

    Research

    The Government has released a detailed analysis on the incidence of suicide among serving and ex-serving Australian Defence Force (ADF) personnel from 2001–2015.

    The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) study, Incidence of suicide in ex-serving ADF personnel 2001-2015, uses data from the Department of Defence Personnel Management Key System, which contains information on all people who serve or have served in the ADF from 1 January 2001, and the National Death Index (NDI). The NDI is a Commonwealth database that contains records of deaths registered in Australia since 1980. Data comes from Registrars of Births, Deaths and Marriages in each jurisdiction, the National Coronial Information System and the Australian Bureau of Statistics.

    The detailed analysis builds on a summary report released in June 2017 and largely supports earlier findings that ex-serving men aged 18 to 29 are at a higher risk of suicide when compared to Australian men of the same age. When age and all other factors are controlled for, medical discharge and discharge in ranks other than commissioned officers are associated with higher suicide risk among ex-serving men.

    The report can be found at AIHW. The Government will continue to maintain a record of ex-serving ADF member suicide deaths and will annually update incidence rates of suicide among serving and ex-serving ADF members as new cause of death data becomes available.

    Transition and Wellbeing Research Programme

    The Transition and Wellbeing Research Programme is the most comprehensive study undertaken in Australia that examines the impact of military service on the mental, physical and social health of:

    • serving and ex-serving Australian Defence Force (ADF) members including those who have been deployed in contemporary conflicts, and
    • their families.

    For further information visit the Transition and Wellbeing Research Programme.

    Literature Review of Suicidal Behaviour and Ideation in Military Personnel

    DVA commissioned the Australian Institute for Suicide Research and Prevention at Griffith University, to conduct a literature review examining suicide among veterans in both Australia and internationally.  

    The aim of this literature review is to provide a national and international comparison point for suicidal behaviour and ideation among Australian military personnel, as well identifying any emerging risk and protective factors. 

    The review highlighted the limitations applying international research on suicidal behaviour in foreign serving and ex-serving personnel in the Australian context.  It also highlighted the need for continued research into suicide prevalence and risk in Australian ex-serving personnel. 

    Suicidal behaviour and ideation among military personnel: Australian and international trends — literature review

    Prime Ministerial Advisory Council on Veterans' Mental Health

    For information on the Prime Ministerial Advisory Council on Veterans' Mental Health visit the Council's website.

    Anvil Note

    We are always looking to improve our resources, and are looking to provide help to not only Veterans but the Emergency Services community as well. Although some of the information above does apply to Police, Fire, and Medical Emergency Services, we are looking to add specific information for services relating to them as well. If you have any information or resources that you think we should add, please send them to admin@anviltd.com to be vetted and added to this resource page.