By Debra Swann and

Sandra Spadea

ALCOHOL, OTHER DRUGS USE AND

MENTAL HEALTH IN THE DEAF

COMMUNITY

SANDRA’S PERSONAL STORY

“I was always questioned about deafness, when I could’ve just talked about myself. It’s rubbish”

David

FACTS… FACTS… FACTS…WHAT WE KNOW…

• Extend of alcohol and drug use in the deaf community remains unclear

• Few trained substance abused counselors for both Deaf / HH and CODA people

• Interpreters limited

• Staff not knowledgeable

• No accessible materials

WHAT DRUGS ARE OUT THERE?

WHY DO PEOPLE USE DRUGS?

• For fun

• Media Hype and peer pressure

• Boredom

• Social factors – poverty, crime

• Personal issues and traits

MENTAL HEALTH AND SUBSTANCE ABUSE ….. CAN SOMETIMES OCCUR AT THE SAME TIME.

• Mental health means different things to different people

• Good mental health can be affect by external influences, this includes drugs and alcohol

• Drugs like cannabis, alcohol, ecstasy and heroin, have the ability to affect your mood

• Drugs interfere with the chemicals in your brain

BARRIERS TO GETTING HELP:• Attitudes

• language

• Limited deaf services.

• Education

RECOMMENDATIONS

OPTION ONE: NEED FOR RESEARCH – SURVEY QUESTIONNAIRES

OPTION TWO: AUSLAN COMPUTER WEB CAM MEETING – DEAF GET OFF DRUG AND ALCOHOL.

OPTION THREE: Deaf, hearing impaired and coda’s to have access to

mental health professionals

OPTION FOUR: Family members and friends to have access

to support

OPTION FIVE: Education for young people and the wider

deaf community

QUESTION TIME

QUESTION ONE:

What unique barriers does one faces when trying to access services or professionals?

QUESTION TWO:

What support services and network do you think would assist a deaf person

and CODA to take care of themselves?

QUESTION THREE:

If video calling was an option for you to access services in Auslan and connect with people similar to you, would you

use it?