Lisa Thurin Women’s Health Centre

Why women’s mental health?

Data from many reputable sources1,2,3 all confirm the same facts – women experience more mental ill health than men, with almost double the incidence of depression and four times as much anxiety. The reasons for this include environmental factors such as violence against women, poverty, imbalance in power, lower wages and cultural expectations. There are also many biological factors including the impacts of hormone fluctuations with specific disorders emerging premenstrually, post childbirth and around menopause. Importantly, there are also differences in stress management styles that can disadvantage women. The combination of all these contribute to the greater prevalence of mental health issues in women.4 The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic was to worsen many situations for women, leading to even greater mental health concerns for women.5

Women’s mental health needs greater recognition as a separate area of need, including the development of new treatments and approaches. New research and new services tailored for women are urgently needed.

Two recent developments are set to address these issues and dramatically transform the way mental illness is understood and treated, both at Cabrini and in the broader community. They are the opening of the Lisa Thurin Women’s Health Centre at Cabrini Health in September 2021 and the establishment of the Monash University HER Centre Australia in early 2022.

Lisa Thurin Women’s Health Centre at Cabrini

The Lisa Thurin Women’s Health Centre at Cabrini Elsternwick is home to Australia’s first private, women-only mental health hospital. Located in the heart of Elsternwick, the Cabrini Women’s Mental Health service focuses on treatment for mental health conditions and is underpinned by compassion and kindness. This contemporary 30-bed inpatient unit primarily focuses on treatment for mental health conditions including:

• Mood disorders

• Addictions

• Complex trauma disorders, including post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)

The service offers a short-stay mental health program supported with intensive day programs, telehealth and community support. It offers targeted treatments for improving women’s mental health. Women have access to an innovative, biopsychosocial package of care, which provides holistic treatments designed to optimise outcomes for women with mental ill health.

The service operates under the principle that women experiencing acute phases of mental illness have a better response to treatment, better outcomes and better overall wellbeing when they receive treatment in a women-only facility with treatments and programs that are individualised to the specific needs of women and to the specific characteristics of the illness.

In addition to providing the best possible care, tailored to the needs of women, the Lisa Thurin Women’s Health Centre will conduct and support cutting-edge research in partnership with the Monash University Department of Psychiatry – Central’s HER Centre Australia.

Research conducted in the centre has two main aims:

• Assessing and reporting on the outcomes of the service model being delivered

• Conducting clinical research to improve our understanding and treatment of mental illnesses that impact women

For more information about the Lisa Thurin Women’s Health Centre, visit www.cabrini.com.au/locations/cabrini-wmh

We thank Lisa Thurin and Gandel Foundation for their generosity and support in establishing this important new facility where women can feel safe and supported as they deal with their mental health and wellbeing needs.

References

1. https://www.aihw.gov.au/reports/mental-health-services/mental-health

2. https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/health/mental-health/national-study-mental-health-and-wellbeing/2020-21

3. Salk RH, Hyde JS, Abramson LY. Gender differences in depression in representative national samples: Meta-analyses of diagnoses and symptoms. Psychol Bull. 2017 Aug;143(8):783-822. doi: 10.1037/bul0000102. Epub 2017 Apr 27. PMID: 28447828; PMCID: PMC5532074

4. https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/health/mental-health/national-study-mental-health-and-wellbeing/latest-release.

5. Women’s Mental Health Alliance, Policy brief: Impacts of COVID 19 on women’s mental health and recommendations for action - UPDATE October 2020.

1 in 3 women will experience anxiety during their lifetime

1 in 6 women in Australia will experience depression