headspace - Australia's innovation in youth mental health: who are the clients and why are they presenting?

Rickwood, DJ; Telford, NR; Parker, AG; Tanti, CJ; McGorry, PD

headspace - Australia's innovation in youth mental health: who are the clients and why are they presenting?

Rickwood, DJ Telford, NR Parker, AG Tanti, CJ McGorry, PD

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Publication Type:: Journal Article
Citation:: Med J Aust, 2014, 200 (2), pp. 108 - 111
Issue Date:: 2014-02-03

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Field	Value	Language
dc.contributor.author	Rickwood, DJ	en_US
dc.contributor.author	Telford, NR	en_US
dc.contributor.author	Parker, AG	en_US
dc.contributor.author	Tanti, CJ	en_US
dc.contributor.author	McGorry, PD	en_US
dc.date.available	2013-11-28	en_US
dc.date.issued	2014-02-03	en_US
dc.identifier.citation	Med J Aust, 2014, 200 (2), pp. 108 - 111	en_US
dc.identifier.uri	http://hdl.handle.net/10453/16026
dc.description.abstract	OBJECTIVES: To provide the first national profile of the characteristics of young people (aged 12-25 years) accessing headspace centre services - the Australian Government's innovation in youth mental health service delivery - and investigate whether headspace is providing early service access for adolescents and young adults with emerging mental health problems. DESIGN AND PARTICIPANTS: Census of all young people accessing a headspace centre across the national network of 55 centres comprising a total of 21 274 headspace clients between 1 January and 30 June 2013. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Reason for presentation, Kessler Psychological Distress Scale, stage of illness, diagnosis, functioning. RESULTS: Young people were most likely to present with mood and anxiety symptoms and disorders, self-reporting their reason for attendance as problems with how they felt. Client demographic characteristics tended to reflect population-level distributions, although clients from regional areas and of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander background were particularly well represented, whereas those who were born outside Australia were underrepresented. CONCLUSION: headspace centres are providing a point of service access for young Australians with high levels of psychological distress and need for care in the early stages of the development of mental disorder.	en_US
dc.language	eng	en_US
dc.relation.ispartof	Med J Aust	en_US
dc.relation.isbasedon	10.5694/mja13.11235	en_US
dc.subject.mesh	Humans	en_US
dc.subject.mesh	Mental Health	en_US
dc.subject.mesh	Mental Disorders	en_US
dc.subject.mesh	Mental Health Services	en_US
dc.subject.mesh	Adolescent	en_US
dc.subject.mesh	Adult	en_US
dc.subject.mesh	Child	en_US
dc.subject.mesh	Adolescent Health Services	en_US
dc.subject.mesh	Health Services Needs and Demand	en_US
dc.subject.mesh	National Health Programs	en_US
dc.subject.mesh	Health Services Accessibility	en_US
dc.subject.mesh	Australia	en_US
dc.subject.mesh	Female	en_US
dc.subject.mesh	Male	en_US
dc.subject.mesh	Young Adult	en_US
dc.title	headspace - Australia's innovation in youth mental health: who are the clients and why are they presenting?	en_US
dc.type	Journal Article
utslib.citation.volume	2	en_US
utslib.citation.volume	200	en_US
utslib.location.activity	Australia	en_US
utslib.for	200299 Cultural Studies not elsewhere classified	en_US
utslib.for	1904 Performing Arts and Creative Writing	en_US
utslib.for	2002 Cultural Studies	en_US
utslib.for	2005 Literary Studies	en_US
pubs.embargo.period	Not known	en_US
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney/e-Press
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney/Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney/Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences/Social and Political Sciences Program
utslib.copyright.status	open_access
pubs.issue	2	en_US
pubs.publication-status	Published	en_US
pubs.volume	200	en_US

Abstract:

OBJECTIVES: To provide the first national profile of the characteristics of young people (aged 12-25 years) accessing headspace centre services - the Australian Government's innovation in youth mental health service delivery - and investigate whether headspace is providing early service access for adolescents and young adults with emerging mental health problems. DESIGN AND PARTICIPANTS: Census of all young people accessing a headspace centre across the national network of 55 centres comprising a total of 21 274 headspace clients between 1 January and 30 June 2013. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Reason for presentation, Kessler Psychological Distress Scale, stage of illness, diagnosis, functioning. RESULTS: Young people were most likely to present with mood and anxiety symptoms and disorders, self-reporting their reason for attendance as problems with how they felt. Client demographic characteristics tended to reflect population-level distributions, although clients from regional areas and of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander background were particularly well represented, whereas those who were born outside Australia were underrepresented. CONCLUSION: headspace centres are providing a point of service access for young Australians with high levels of psychological distress and need for care in the early stages of the development of mental disorder.

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http://hdl.handle.net/10453/16026