scholarly journals Youth Mental Health Should Be a Top Priority for Health Care in Canada

2018 ◽  
Vol 63 (4) ◽  
pp. 216-222 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ashok Malla ◽  
Jai Shah ◽  
Srividya Iyer ◽  
Patricia Boksa ◽  
Ridha Joober ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Mental Health Services ◽  
Mental Disorders ◽  
Health Services ◽  
Indigenous Peoples ◽  
Unmet Needs ◽  
Scientific Evidence ◽  
Youth Mental Health ◽  
Access And Quality

In this article we have provided a perspective on the importance and value of youth mental health services for society and argued that advancing youth mental health services should be the number one priority of health services in Canada. Using the age period of 12–25 years for defining youth, we have provided justification for our position based on scientific evidence derived from clinical, epidemiological and neurodevelopmental studies. We have highlighted the early onset of most mental disorders and substance abuse as well as their persistence into later adulthood, the long delays experienced by most help seekers and the consequence of such delays for young people and for society in general. We have also provided a brief review of the current gross inadequacies in access and quality of care available in Canada. We have argued for the need for a different conceptual framework of youth mental disorders as well as for a transformation of the way services are provided in order not only to reduce the unmet needs but also to allow a more meaningful exploration of the nature of such problems presenting in youth and the best way to treat them. We have offered some ideas based on previous work completed in this field as well as current initiatives in Canada and elsewhere. Any transformation of youth mental health services in Canada must take into consideration the significant geographic, cultural and political diversity across the provinces, territories and indigenous peoples across this country.

Systematic review of youth mental health service integration research

2016 ◽  
Vol 22 (4) ◽  
pp. 304 ◽  
Author(s):  
Irina Kinchin ◽  
Komla Tsey ◽  
Marion Heyeres ◽  
Yvonne Cadet-James
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Mental Health Service ◽  
Mental Health Services ◽  
Health Service ◽  
Health Services ◽  
Methodological Quality ◽  
Service Integration ◽  
Youth Mental Health ◽  
Inclusion Criteria

Quality mental health care is based on the integration of care across organisations and disciplines. The aims of this study were, first, to assess the extent, characteristics and reported outcomes of publications concerned with youth mental health service integration in Australia and internationally; and second, to investigate the study design quality of evaluative interventions and determine whether the studies report on the cost-effectiveness of the integration in order to inform the reform of youth mental health services by Queensland Health. A systematic search of the peer-reviewed literature and a narrative synthesis were undertaken of English language publications from 21 electronic databases. Inclusion criteria were: published 1998–2014 (inclusive); peer-reviewed research; focused on mental health services integration; reported data for youth aged 12–25 years. The methodological quality of evaluative interventions was assessed using the Quality Assessment Tool for Quantitative Studies developed by the Effective Public Health Practice Project (EPHPP). Twenty-five studies met the inclusion criteria: one (4%) was classified as a measurement research, 13 (52%) as descriptive, and 11 (44%) as interventions including five (45%) evaluative interventions. Four out of the five evaluative interventions reported positive effects of youth mental health service integration. Particular problems included ambiguity of definitions, absence of economic or cost analyses and insufficient consumer involvement. The methodological quality of the interventions was variable with, on average, a moderate level of selection bias and study design. Despite a slight increase in the number of studies in the last couple of years, there are important gaps in the evidence base for youth mental health service integration processes. The relatively small number of evaluative studies and lack of economic evaluations point to the need for additional research in this important area.

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 Improving referrals from primary care to secondary mental health services through an educational intervention: experience from Qatar

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-4
Author(s):  
Ovais Wadoo ◽  
Sami Ouanes ◽  
Mohamed Ali Siddig Ahmed ◽  
Iman Saeed Ahmed Saeid ◽  
Samya Ahmad AlAbdulla ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Primary Care ◽  
Mental Health Services ◽  
Mental Disorders ◽  
Health Services ◽  
Educational Intervention ◽  
Common Mental Disorders ◽  
Clinical Information ◽  
Health Clinic

Primary care is geared to manage patients with mild to moderate presentations of common mental disorders and to refer patients with more severe mental disorders to specialist mental health services. With growing demand for specialty care, the quality of the referral is increasingly important to ensure efficient patient flow across the primary/secondary care interface and appropriate use of secondary services. We report on an initiative in a Qatari mental health clinic to improve the quality of referrals from primary care to specialist mental health services through an educational intervention for family physicians. We highlight the problem, the intervention and the outcome of our initiative, which was the first of its kind in the region. The number of inappropriate referrals fell by 93%, and the number of referrals with inadequate clinical information declined from 15 (January 2019) to 1 (September 2019). Feedback was very positive; respondents reported feeling supported, with better understanding of care pathways, the scope of primary care and mental health services.

scholarly journals Taking steps towards deinstitutionalizing mental health care within a low and middle-income country: A cross-sectional study of service user needs in the Republic of Moldova

2019 ◽  
Vol 66 (1) ◽  
pp. 49-57
Author(s):  
Jona J Frasch ◽  
Ionela Petrea ◽  
Jana Chihai ◽  
Filip Smit ◽  
Matthijs Oud ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Mental Health ◽  
Mental Health Services ◽  
Health Services ◽  
Unmet Needs ◽  
Service Users ◽  
Republic Of Moldova ◽  
Level Of Functioning ◽  
The Republic

Aim: The current research was conducted in the context of an ongoing reform of mental health services in the Republic of Moldova since 2014, where efforts have been devoted to creating community-based mental health services. This article presents a snapshot of the needs of mental health service users in the Republic of Moldova and helps to understand how and with which services their needs can be addressed. Methods: This cross-sectional study compared the levels of needs (CANSAS scale), quality of life (EQ-5D 3L), mental health status (MINI for psychotic disorders) and functioning (WHO-DAS) among mental health service users in the psychiatric hospital in Chisinau, Moldova. All service users resided in districts where community mental health services were being developed. Correlations between quality of life, functioning and unmet need were explored. Results: Of 83 participants, one third had a psychotic or a mood disorder. On average, participants reported needs in 9.41 domains ( SD = 4.41), of which 4.29 were unmet ( SD = 3.63). Most unmet needs related to intimacy and relation to others. The level of functioning and quality of life were reported. We found strong, negative associations between the number of unmet needs and level of functioning, as well as the quality of life. We also found that higher functioning levels were positively associated with higher quality of life. Conclusion: There were a high number of unmet needs among this inpatient population, particularly social needs and service-related needs. A continuum of inpatient and outpatient care and individual treatment plans can help address the different needs of different patients. Individual treatment plans for patients and the choice of the appropriate treatment for patients could be guided by an assessment of service users’ (unmet) needs of care and level of functioning.

Is Pacific language ability protective of prevalence of mental disorders among Pacific peoples in New Zealand?

2018 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
pp. 10-16 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eirenei Taua'i ◽  
Rose Richards ◽  
Jesse Kokaua
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
New Zealand ◽  
Mental Health Services ◽  
Mental Disorders ◽  
Health Services ◽  
Common Mental Disorders ◽  
Mental Health Disorder ◽  
Positive Role ◽  
Pacific People ◽  
Language Promotion

Aims: To explore associations between experiences of mental illness, migration status and languages spoken among Pacific adults living in NZ. Methods: SURVEY FREQ and SURVEY LOGISTIC procedures in SAS were applied to data from Te Rau Hinengaro: The New Zealand (NZ) Mental Health Survey, a survey of 12,992 New Zealand adults aged 16 and over in 2003/2004. Pacific people were over sampled and this paper focuses on the 2374 Pacific participants but includes, for comparison, 8160 non-Maori-non-Pacific (NMNP) participants. Results: Pacific migrant respondents had the lowest prevalence of mental disorders compared to other Pacific peoples. However, Pacific immigrants were also less likely to use mental health services, suggesting an increased likelihood of experiencing barriers to available mental health care. Those who were born in NZ and who were proficient in a Pacific language had the lowest levels of common mental disorders, suggesting a protective effect for the NZ-born population. Additionally, access to mental health services was similar between NZ-born people who spoke a Pacific language and those who did not. Conclusions: We conclude that, given the association between Pacific language and reduced mental disorder, there may be a positive role for Pacific language promotion in efforts to reduce the prevalence of mental health disorder among Pacific communities in NZ.

scholarly journals Implementing a digital health model of care in Australian youth mental health services: protocol for impact evaluation

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah Piper ◽  
Tracey A. Davenport ◽  
Haley LaMonica ◽  
Antonia Ottavio ◽  
Frank Iorfino ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Mental Health Services ◽  
Health Services ◽  
Impact Evaluation ◽  
Digital Health ◽  
Youth Mental Health ◽  
Model Of Care ◽  
Health Service Provision ◽  
Industrial Grade ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Background The World Economic Forum has recently highlighted substantial problems in mental health service provision and called for the rapid deployment of smarter, digitally-enhanced health services as a means to facilitate effective care coordination and address issues of demand. In mental health, the biggest enabler of digital solutions is the implementation of an effective model of care that is facilitated by integrated health information technologies (HITs); the latter ensuring the solution is easily accessible, scalable and sustainable. The University of Sydney’s Brain and Mind Centre (BMC) has developed an innovative digital health solution – delivered through the Youth Mental Health and Technology Program – which incorporates two components: 1) a highly personalised and measurement-based (data-driven) model of youth mental health care; and 2) an industrial grade HIT registered on the Australian Register of Therapeutic Goods. This paper describes a research protocol to evaluate the impact of implementing the BMC’s digital health solution into youth mental health services (i.e. headspace - a highly accessible, youth-friendly integrated service that responds to the mental health, physical health, alcohol or other substance use, and vocational concerns of young people aged 12 to 25 years) within urban and regional areas of Australia. Methods The digital health solution will be implemented into participating headspace centres using a naturalistic research design. Quantitative and qualitative data will be collected from headspace health professionals, service managers and administrators, as well as from lead agency and local Primary Health Network (PHN) staff, via service audits, Implementation Officer logs, online surveys, and semi-structured interviews, at baseline and then three-monthly intervals over the course of 12 months. Discussion At the time of publication, six headspace centres had been recruited to this study and had commenced implementation and impact evaluation. The first results are expected to be submitted for publication in 2021. This study will focus on the impact of implementing a digital health solution at both a service and staff level, and will evaluate digital readiness of service and staff adoption; quality, usability and acceptability of the solution by staff; staff self-reported clinical competency; overall impact on headspace centres as well as their lead agencies and local PHNs; and social return on investment.

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