Aboriginal mental health part 1 - Tiwi IslandsAboriginal mental health part 1 - Tiwi Islands
All In The Mind
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.
30:14•10 Jun 2006
Mental Health, Gunger and Grog: Tiwi Islanders Share Their Stories
Episode Overview
- Keith Woody shares how heavy drinking, cannabis use and bipolar disorder led to relationship breakdown, suicidality and later recovery with antipsychotic injections.
- Health workers describe strong links between alcohol and cannabis misuse, psychosis, depression and very high suicide rates among Aboriginal people.
- The AIM Hi project uses Aboriginal mental health workers, home visits, storytelling, flip charts and animated characters to explain symptoms and treatment in accessible ways.
- Traditional practices such as smoking ceremonies sit alongside Western psychiatry as communities seek comfort, healing and emotional release.
- Workers highlight the strain of overcrowded housing, family “humbugging” and constant crises, calling mental health “everyone’s business” in the community.
““You know, stop taking drugs. I’ve experienced that before, you know, there’s no way I can turn back to that ganja again.””
This episode sheds light on the personal battles against addiction, mental illness and grief on the Tiwi Islands, north of Darwin. Through calm, on-the-ground conversations, it gives you a sense of what life is like where “gunger and grog” mix with overcrowded housing, violence and deep sadness. The focus centres on Keith Woody, who has lived with bipolar disorder and psychotic episodes, likely linked to heavy drinking and cannabis use.
He speaks openly about losing his relationship and nearly taking his own life, before choosing treatment: monthly antipsychotic injections that, as he puts it, “kept slowing me down” and helped him feel well enough to return to fishing, hunting and family life. You’ll hear from mental health nurse Mary Maloney and psychiatrist Dr Trish Nagel, who describe high rates of psychosis, depression and suicide among Aboriginal people, closely tied to substance misuse and intense social stress.
They talk about “humbugging”, where constant requests for money to buy alcohol or cannabis create heavy pressure within families. A big part of the episode looks at the AIM Hi project, where Aboriginal mental health workers such as Lizzie Tipalura sit with people under trees or on verandas, checking in, offering tablets or injections, and using pictures, flip charts and animated characters to explain symptoms and treatment in local languages.
Storytelling is central: Keith’s own recovery story is turned into a teaching tool for his community. Cultural practices also play a strong role. Worker Danny Munkera describes smoking ceremonies with special leaves to clear bad spirits and emotions, alongside a blunt call for better housing and living conditions. The tone is honest but hopeful, showing how Western psychiatry and Aboriginal culture are being brought together in tough circumstances.
If you’re interested in how community, culture and creativity can support people facing alcohol and drug-related mental illness, this one may stay with you long after it ends.
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