Mouse to man, a mental health recovery journey.

WHAT IS KNOWN ON THE SUBJECT?: The need for recovery narratives written by people with lived experience of mental illness is widely acknowledged in mental health research. Insights from lived experience narratives can assist nurses to reflect on practice in new ways. WHAT THIS PAPER ADDS TO EXISTING KNOWLEDGE?: By describing the lived experience of one man's journey through adolescence crippled by anxiety to become one of the Australia's leading consumer advocates, this paper emphasizes the importance of retaining hope no matter how difficult challenges become. WHAT ARE THE IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE?: Flexibility regarding service age limits for young people who experience mental illness is important, particularly if therapeutic relationships have been established. Services should provide longer-term treatment options for youth who experience mental illness. Mental health nurses need to guard against too much focus on getting rid of symptoms. Nursing should seek to develop the whole of a person's life as they move along their recovery journey.

Colonial surgeon Patrick Hill (1794-1852): unacknowledged pioneer of Australian mental healthcare.

Despite making a substantial contribution to the development of mental health services in colonial Australia, until now the story of Dr Patrick Hill's (1794-1852) life has been overlooked by historians. This paper reviews primary sources including clinical notes, patient lists, letters, government documents and newspaper articles which reveal that Dr Hill was a dedicated physician who played a vital role in the development of Australian mental healthcare. He was held in such esteem that by the time of his sudden death in 1852 he had been elevated to the most senior medical office in New South Wales. Dr Hill's career serves to exemplify how the local practice of individual colonial doctors helped build the reputation of medicine in the modern era.

Life of Martha Entwistle: Australia's first convict mental health nurse.

The present position paper provides an account of the life of Martha Entwistle, the earliest recorded convict nurse who worked within the Castle Hill Asylum. In our review of primary historical sources, Australia's first convict mental health nurse was found to be a resilient woman who endured several traumatic life experiences. Her nursing within Australia's first mental health asylum was highly valued by the superintendent of the service. She nursed in a harsh colonial environment, short of adequate resources, during an era of fast-paced industrial and technological a change. Martha Entwistle's experiences provide a historical account of the role of the early convict mental health nurse. Her life story enables modern-day nurses to reflect on the advances made in mental health nursing and contexts of care for nurses today.