scholarly journals Building Resilience in Adolescents and Youths - The Maltese Scene

2019 ◽  
Vol 29 (Supplement_4) ◽  
Author(s):  
J M Cachia
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Early Intervention ◽  
Young People ◽  
Mental Disorders ◽  
Peer Group ◽  
Group Development ◽  
Youth Mental Health ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Building Resilience ◽  
Health And Well Being

Abstract The Office of the Commissioner for Mental Health in Malta was established in 2011 to promote and protect rights of persons with mental disorders and their carers. This advocacy role includes monitoring of involuntary care, regular reporting on quality of care and care environments, in-depth analysis and recommendations on emerging issues such as mental health literacy, multidisciplinary care plans, drug addiction services and stigma and regular networking across ministries, agencies, departments, and NGOs, breaking silos and building bridges. Data for 2018 shows that acutely ill young people (10-29 year olds) were 30% of acute involuntary admissions. Males and foreign nationals from medium and least developed countries were more frequently represented. Substance abuse, mood disorders and psychotic disorders were the more common diagnostic groups. Building resilience and providing opportunities for early intervention are key elements of better mental health and well-being in the younger generation. Six examples of good practice in adolescent and youth mental health from Malta will be presented: Youth.inc by Aġenzija Żgħażagħ; Kellimni.com by SOS Malta; Youth Mental Health First Aid by Richmond Foundation; Research and Professional Education by ACAMH (Malta); Student Support Services at MCAST MALTA; Project Enlight! by Enlight Foundation. Two of these initiatives were recognised as best practices at European level in a peer learning exercise conducted by the Dutch Youth Institute. The recommendations are: more focused approaches towards young people with acute mental disorders with special attention to their specific needs; the identification of young people in trouble; work programmes that build resilience, life-skills and employment prospects; the intensified use of refined electronic and social media tools for promotion, prevention and early intervention; and active support and encouragement of peer group development and self-help initiatives. Key messages Networking stakeholders to break silos and build bridges. Resilience and early intervention for better mental health and well-being.

scholarly journals Bridging the digital disconnect: Exploring the views of professionals on using technology to promote young people’s mental health

2017 ◽  
Vol 38 (4) ◽  
pp. 380-397 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aleisha M. Clarke ◽  
Derek Chambers ◽  
Margaret M. Barry
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Young People ◽  
Organizational Support ◽  
Youth Mental Health ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Reliable Information ◽  
Online Resources ◽  
Online Technologies ◽  
Health And Well Being

The increasing role of online technologies in young people’s lives has significant implications for professionals’ engagement with technologies to promote youth mental health and well-being. However, relatively little is known about professionals’ views on the role of technologies in supporting youth mental health. This article outlines key findings from a needs assessment survey carried out in Ireland that sought to determine the views of professionals working with young people on the use of online technologies in supporting young people’s mental health and well-being. A total of 900 professionals from across the education, health, and mental health professions completed an online survey. The findings demonstrate the importance of the internet as a resource for professionals working with young people, with over 98% of those surveyed expressing a readiness to use online resources to support young people’s mental health. The nature of preferred online technologies differed according to professional groupings, however, 63% of overall respondents indicated they would look for help on a dedicated mental health website. Guidelines on working with young people and their parents on the promotion of positive mental were requested with the most frequency. Among the barriers identified were concerns about access to reliable information that was relevant to specific professional roles, and the need for organizational support of professionals’ use of online evidence-based resources. Concerns were also expressed that online resources could replace face-to-face support services for young people, and the need for training professionals in their appropriate use. The results highlight the potential role of technology in assisting professionals through the provision of online training, reliable information, and practical resources on the promotion of positive youth mental health.

School and Community - based Youth Mental Health Intervention Studies in India: A Scoping Review

2019 ◽  
Vol 2 (02) ◽  
pp. 14-22
Author(s):  
Ragaviveka Gopalan ◽  
C Sangeetha ◽  
P Ramakrishnan ◽  
Vijaya Raghavan
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Young People ◽  
Mental Disorders ◽  
Youth Mental Health ◽  
Health Interventions ◽  
Community Based Interventions ◽  
Community Based ◽  
School Based ◽  
School And Community ◽  
Mental Health Interventions

BACKGROUND About 70% of mental disorders emerge in late childhood and young peo-ple bear the burden of these disorders throughout life. Yet, to date there has been com-paratively little research on mental health interventions for young people in India and not many attempts have been made to collate the existing literature. This systematic review aims to synthesize the available evidence on school- and community-based mental health interventions for young people in India. METHODS A range of major electronic databases were searched systematically, and the abstracts of relevant papers were independently examined for possible inclusion. Selected papers were read in full text and a standardized set of data items were extracted. RESULTS Four papers met inclusion criteria for the analysis; two studies of school-based interventions for adolescents and two studies evaluating out-of-school community interventions for youth were reviewed. The quality of evidence from the interventions in Indian school and community settings were poor. While two studies evidence the effectiveness of a school-based life skills programme and a community based multicomponent intervention designed to promote youth health, two other studies do not offer sufficient data. CONCLUSION The review findings indicate that the number of interventional studies conducted in India to address youth mental health issues are very limited. Hence, it is extremely difficult to ensure the feasibility and effectiveness of school and community-based interventions in India. Further research is warranted to establish whether interventions promoting youth mental health people can be implemented effectively in Indian settings with positive mental health outcomes. Given the possibility of a huge population of young people at-risk or experiencing mental disorders, evidence for the efficacy of youth mental health interventions is crucial.

Supporting Students' Mental Health and Academic Success Through Mobile App and IoT

2019 ◽  
pp. 703-719
Author(s):  
Karolina Baras ◽  
Luísa Soares ◽  
Carla Vale Lucas ◽  
Filipa Oliveira ◽  
Norberto Pinto Paulo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
College Students ◽  
Academic Success ◽  
Young People ◽  
Interpersonal Relationships ◽  
Time Management ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Mobile App ◽  
Management Guidelines ◽  
Health And Well Being

Smartphones have become devices of choice for running studies on health and well-being, especially among young people. When entering college, students often face many challenges, such as adaptation to new situations, establish new interpersonal relationships, heavier workload and shorter deadlines, teamwork assignments and others. In this paper, the results of four studies examining students' well-being and mental health as well as student's perception of challenges and obstacles they face during their academic journey are presented. In addition, a mobile application that acts as a complement to a successful tutoring project implemented at the authors' University is proposed. The application allows students to keep their schedules and deadlines in one place while incorporating virtual tutor features. By using both, the events from the student's calendar and his or her mood indicators, the application sends notifications accordingly. These notifications encompass motivational phrases, time management guidelines, as well as relaxation tips.

A certificate in youth psychiatry: meeting the training needs of psychiatrists

2020 ◽  
pp. 103985622094301
Author(s):  
Iain Macmillan ◽  
Andrew Thompson ◽  
Megan Kalucy ◽  
Daniel Pellen ◽  
Eóin Killackey ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Health Care ◽  
Young People ◽  
Mental Disorders ◽  
Mental Health Care ◽  
Youth Mental Health ◽  
Training Needs ◽  
Specialty Training ◽  
Optimal Care ◽  
Adult Psychiatry

Objective: This paper provides the rationale for the development of sub-specialty training in youth psychiatry. Method: Training needs for youth psychiatry are discussed and the opportunities provided by sub-specialisation in youth psychiatry are presented. Results: The majority of mental disorders have their onset prior to 25 years. There has been substantial recent growth in services to meet the clinical needs of young people. The development of these services has exposed gaps in current training for psychiatrists, which varies considerably between child and adolescent, and adult psychiatry. Competencies acquired by psychiatrists in youth mental health are non-standardised, which may hinder optimal care. Conclusions: Sub-specialty training in youth psychiatry is needed to meet workforce demands. The development of a certificate in youth psychiatry, by the RANZCP Section for Youth Mental Health, is underway. This will complement existing training and provide trainees and psychiatrists the opportunity to develop specialist skills in the provision of mental health care for young people negotiating the transition between adolescence and adulthood.

scholarly journals Family trouble: Heteronormativity, emotion work and queer youth mental health

2019 ◽  
pp. 136345931986057 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elizabeth McDermott ◽  
Jacqui Gabb ◽  
Rachael Eastham ◽  
Ali Hanbury
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Family Relationships ◽  
Phase 1 ◽  
Youth Mental Health ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Emotion Work ◽  
Lgbtq Youth ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Queer Youth ◽  
Health And Well Being

Conflict with the family about sexual orientation and gender diversity is a key risk factor associated with poor mental health in youth populations. Findings presented here derive from a UK study that employed an interdisciplinary critical mental health approach that de-pathologised emotional distress and conceptualised families as social and affective units that are created through everyday practices. Our aim was to explore how family relationships foster, maintain or harm the mental health and well-being of LGBTQ+ youth. Data were generated through exploratory visual, creative and digital qualitative methods in two phases. Phase 1 involved digital/paper emotion maps and interviews with LGBTQ+ youth aged 16 to 25 (n = 12) and family member/mentor interviews (n = 7). Phase 2 employed diary methods and follow-up interviews (n = 9). The data analytic strategy involved three stages: individual case analysis, cross-sectional thematic analysis and meta-interpretation. We found that family relationships impacted queer youth mental health in complex ways that were related to the establishment of their autonomous queer selves, the desire to remain belonging to their family and the need to maintain a secure environment. The emotion work involved in navigating identity, belonging and security was made difficult because of family heteronormativity, youth autonomy and family expectations, and had a stark impact on queer youth mental health and well-being. Improving the mental health of LGBTQ+ youth requires a much deeper understanding of the emotionality of family relationships and the difficulties negotiating these as a young person.

scholarly journals Youth Mental Health Tracker: protocol to establish a longitudinal cohort and research database for young people attending Australian mental health services

BMJ Open ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (6) ◽  
pp. e035379
Author(s):  
Cathrin Rohleder ◽  
Yun Ju Christine Song ◽  
Jacob J Crouse ◽  
Tracey A Davenport ◽  
Frank Iorfino ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Mental Health Services ◽  
Young People ◽  
Mental Disorders ◽  
Health Services ◽  
Physical Health ◽  
Youth Mental Health ◽  
Severe Illness ◽  
Trajectory Data

IntroductionMental disorders are a leading cause of long-term disability worldwide. Much of the burden of mental ill-health is mediated by early onset, comorbidities with physical health conditions and chronicity of the illnesses. This study aims to track the early period of mental disorders among young people presenting to Australian mental health services to facilitate more streamlined transdiagnostic processes, highly personalised and measurement-based care, secondary prevention and enhanced long-term outcomes.Methods and analysisRecruitment to this large-scale, multisite, prospective, transdiagnostic, longitudinal clinical cohort study (‘Youth Mental Health Tracker’) will be offered to all young people between the ages of 12 and 30 years presenting to participating services with proficiency in English and no history of intellectual disability. Young people will be tracked over 3 years with standardised assessments at baseline and 3, 6, 12, 24 and 36 months. Assessments will include self-report and clinician-administered measures, covering five key domains including: (1) social and occupational function; (2) self-harm, suicidal thoughts and behaviour; (3) alcohol or other substance misuse; (4) physical health; and (5) illness type, clinical stage and trajectory. Data collection will be facilitated by the use of health information technology. The data will be used to: (1) determine prospectively the course of multidimensional functional outcomes, based on the differential impact of demographics, medication, psychological interventions and other key potentially modifiable moderator variables and (2) map pathophysiological mechanisms and clinical illness trajectories to determine transition rates of young people to more severe illness forms.Ethics and disseminationThe study has been reviewed and approved by the Human Research Ethics Committee of the Sydney Local Health District (2019/ETH00469). All data will be non-identifiable, and research findings will be disseminated through peer-reviewed journals and scientific conference presentations.

scholarly journals Deconstructing current comorbidity: data from the Australian National Survey of Mental Health and Well-Being

2002 ◽  
Vol 181 (4) ◽  
pp. 306-314 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gavin Andrews ◽  
Tim Slade ◽  
Cathy Issakidis
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Mental Disorders ◽  
Anxiety Disorders ◽  
National Survey ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Service Utilisation ◽  
Epidemiological Surveys ◽  
Common Causes ◽  
Symptom Level ◽  
Health And Well Being

BackgroundComorbidity in epidemiological surveys of mental disorders is common and of uncertain importance.AimsTo explore the correlates of current comorbidity.MethodData from the Australian National Survey of Mental Health and Well-Being were used to evaluate the relationships between comorbidity, disability and service utilisation associated with particular mental disorders.ResultsThe number of current comorbid disorders predicted disability, distress, neuroticism score and service utilisation. Comorbidity is more frequent than expected, which might be due to the effect of one disorder on the symptom level of another, or to the action of common causes on both. The combination of affective and anxiety disorders was more predictive of disability and service utilisation than any other two or three group combinations. When people nominated their principal disorder as the set of symptoms that troubled them the most, the affective and anxiety disorders together were associated with four-fifths of the disability and service utilisation.ConclusionsTo make clinical interventions more practical, current comorbidity is best reduced to a principal disorder and subsidiary disorders.

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