Past Programs
Indigenous - Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander - 2006
2008 | 2007 | 2006 | 2004 | 2003
The Long Grassers' legacy - Aboriginal mental health part 2
17/06/2006
For many Aboriginal people the loss of their country has caused significant health and social problems, including substance abuse, and has led them to 'living in the long grass' on the outskirts of urban townships.
They are often considered a nuisance and are constantly moved on by the police. Lynne Malcolm speaks with some 'Long Grassers' from around Darwin, including actor David Gulpilil and an Aboriginal woman who's using theatre techniques to help the Long Grassers tell their stories in an attempt to bridge the cultural gap.
Aboriginal mental health part 1 - Tiwi Islands
10/06/2006
Mental health in many Aboriginal communities takes a back seat because often the most basic human needs are not adequately provided for. However, depression, psychosis and suicide are widespread, against a backdrop of chronic alcohol and substance abuse. But there are some amazingly committed individuals working hard to improve the situation with an innovative approach. Lynne Malcolm visits Tiwi and meets a man whose story of mental illness is being used to educate his community.
Petrol sniffing and the brain: 'petrol blackbella, chuck im la bin' Yilila
28/01/2006
The practice of petrol sniffing is devastating some Australian Aboriginal communities, with some kids starting to inhale petrol fumes as young as six years old. But amazingly very little was known about the effect sniffing petrol has on the brain until recently. Lynne Malcolm speaks with a scientist whose research is beginning to cast light on a problem which has been too easy to sweep under the carpet. And we hear from an Aboriginal mental health worker who takes computerised card games out into the community to test the brain function of her people.
