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BODY & SOUL 61 of evidence that people are experiencing these emotions in an intense way.” When the average person is under stress, he says, they become activated, with the response being increased anxiety, lowered mood and at times disturbed sleep, which all point to the person noticing the problem. The next step in the equation is “what can be done about it, which we call coping”, Professor Murray says. “And most of us cope – around 80 per cent,” he said. “So, it’s entirely understandable for people to be anxious and to be concerned about what’s going to happen next within all the uncertainty: from job security and personal and family health to when that holiday to Japan is going to take place. “But that’s not the same as having a mental disorder.” Professor Murray assures that most people will find their way through their anxiety. “There’s been a whole lot of catastrophising going on through individuals as well as governments, but we’ve seen, even though we’ve been going through a rough time, that the future isn’t as bad as some have been predicting. “So, my take-home message is that just because an individual is experiencing anxiety, or there’s anxiety in the family, doesn’t mean there’s a problem.” Caring for the vulnerable Professor Murray points out that a portion of the population, for various reasons, is more vulnerable to mental health risks. In this regard, he says it’s important for healthcare workers to consider what makes someone vulnerable, which relates to the ‘biopsychosocial model’. He explains that social factors with the potential to make a person vulnerable include stress or anxiety, unstable housing, unemployment and low socioeconomic status among others, while psychological factors include bad coping habits or a lack of coping resources, and biological factors include a genetic predisposition to mental health problems and other diseases. Moreover, often these vulnerabilities go together, he underscores. “We know that there are people in the community who are more vulnerable to challenges, including Covid-19, than other people,” Professor Murray said. “So, when pharmacists, pharmacy assistants and others think about helping vulnerable people with their problems, the diathesis-stress model – or vulnerability-stress model – is a useful framework to keep in mind. “It includes empathising with a patient or customer over certain challenges they’re dealing with – along the lines of acknowledging that it must be very hard for them to keep on top of things.” Following this, he says, it would be beneficial for pharmacists to “problem- solve” with the patient or customer. “Problem solving is a very important skill, which I’m sure pharmacists and their assistants are adept at,” he said. “It involves taking a complex and overwhelming set of issues and mapping them out. “The exercise centres around what the problems are exactly, that is, what’s not right in real life, and mapping them out and coming up with suggestions and suggested actions the person could take for each problem. “Some problems may be around uncertain work and uncertain housing, as examples, and what actions could be taken to benefit the person in question.” Professor Murray says sometimes it’s necessary to look at “who could be brought into the picture” to assist with the matter, such as government agencies. “Australia is well resourced with government and social agencies and various nets for people with various vulnerabilities,” he said. “There are also hubs, now very well organised online, which can help. And pharmacists would do well to give feedback on local organisations, not generic ones, so that their recommendations can really be useful.” He highlights that these resources change constantly, which pharmacists and their assistants should also keep in mind to stay abreast of changes or seek information online about them. “The best website,” Professor Murray said, “that has broad and comprehensive information about mental health and support for these various subgroups of people with mental health problems is Head to Health. “It’s a real sort of square one – that is, going through ‘what’s wrong’ with someone. Could it be a mental disorder or is the problem more about a housing issue or domestic violence, as examples.” Professor Murray highlights that the Australian government has put considerable resources “into trying to pull together” all the different ways that people can get help for their “issues”. “It’s different to the past, when it was difficult to navigate available help, which was poorly coordinated,” he said. “So, making your way then through social services, psychiatric services and hospital services wasn’t easy. “However, government became aware of the problem and addressed it with some very clever and engaging websites to help people navigate the options for solving problems, which are plentiful, whether for themselves or other people.” RETAIL PHARMACY ASSISTANTS • NOV 2020