1. Mental Health Medication Story

2. Inside your head is your brain. Each person’s brain is very different.The brain is like our control centre.The brain is where our personality, our actions and emotions are controlled.

3. Jobs of the Brain

4. Each area of the brain has a special job to do. This picture shows where each different job is controlled in the brain. At the top of the brain, the red area receives messages FROM the body like how the body is moving or how it is feeling. The purple area sends messages TO the body telling it how and when to move. These different areas are always working together and talking to each other.

5. Messages go between brain and body

6. This picture shows how messages go around the brain and body. A message goes from the finger to the ‘feel body’ (blue) area of the brain saying that the finger is hot. A message is then sent to the ‘move body’ (orange) area saying that the finger needs to move away. The finger then moves away from the fire. These messages travel so fast that we don’t even notice them.

7. These messages are carried around the body by the nervous system. The nervous system is like our “knowledge system”. There are two ways that messages are carried around the nervous system. Part of it is electrical, like electricity. And the other part is chemical, carried by natural chemicals in the body.

8. Balance In a healthy person, all the chemicals in the nervous system are balanced Like water in a healthy river system

9. Balance all wrong Some things can make the balance all wrong Stress Bad food Bad sleep Family history Drugs and alcohol ?

10. Some things can make the balance in our nervous system go all wrong. Some of the things that can make our nervous system off balance are: - drinking grog, - using gunja - too much stress

11. When the balance is all wrong, there is a ‘build-up’ of strong (or poisonous) chemicals in the nervous system.This changes the messages that are sent all around the nervous system.Instead of healthy messages that make our body and brain work properly, confused messages are sent around the brain and body. When the balance is all wrong in the person’s brain and body, they may get a mental illness..

12. Balance all wrong What happens to this person? The person’s balance is all wrong like a river system with dams or bad chemicals

13. Balance all wrong Mental Illness

14. Balance Medicine can help to balance the chemicals in the body Like fresh water in a healthy river system

15. Mental health medicine taken for one day will help balance for one day. Medicine taken every day will help balance every day Some mental health injections (needles) will help balance for weeks. Mental health medicine needs to be checked regularly by your doctor. Sometimes you need more for balance, sometimes you need less, sometimes you need to change medicine

16. Get the balance back Look for problems with balance in you, & friends and family GET HELP Family help Ceremony Healer MH team/health workers Medicine Counsellor Stop drugs Stop alcohol Music Dancing Culture Country Work Good food Good sleep Exercise