Joint submission to the Australian Government Treasury for the Measuring What Matters second consultation process, May 2023

In April 2023, the Australian Government invited a second round of feedback on the Treasury’s Measuring What Matters Statement; Australia’s first national framework on wellbeing. Recognising that traditional economic indicators provide important insights, but not a complete picture or holistic view of the community’s wellbeing, the Statement sought to define a suite of social and environmental indicators. Treasury set out several key questions and invited organisations and individuals to conduct their own consultation guided by these questions. The Matilda Centre for Research in Mental Health and Substance Use recognised the need to 1) ensure mental health is considered as paramount in any conceptualisation of wellbeing, and 2) centre both academic evidence and the voices of young people. As such, two consultation sessions were held; firstly with Australia’s Mental Health Think Tank, which is chaired by The Matilda Centre’s Professor Maree Teesson; and secondly with the PREMISE Centre of Research Excellence in Prevention and Early Intervention in Mental Illness and Substance Use Youth Advisory Board and The Matilda Centre Youth Mental Health Advisory Team. Chaired by Distinguished Professor Maree Teesson AC, Australia’s Mental Health Think Tank includes mental health experts from around Australia: Mr John Brogden AM, Professor Philip Batterham, Professor Alison Calear, Professor Tom Calma AO, Scientia Professor Helen Christensen AO, Professor Patricia Dudgeon AM, Professor Ian Hickie AM, Professor Frances Kay-Lambkin, Professor Patrick McGorry AO, Professor John McGrath, Professor Marc Stears, and Professor Harvey Whiteford. Eight diverse young people aged 16-25 were involved in the second submission and were reimbursed for their participation. The findings from these consultations and resulting submissions are contained in this document. In July 2023, Treasury released the final Measuring What Matters Framework. Australia’s Mental Health Think Tank, The Matilda Centre and PREMISE look forward to hearing more about the implementation of this framework and tracking of the 50 chosen indicators

Development of an e-supported illness management and recovery programme for consumers with severe mental illness using intervention mapping, and design of an early cluster randomized controlled trial

Background: E-mental health is a promising medium to keep mental health affordable and accessible. For consumers with severe mental illness the evidence of the effectiveness of e-health is limited. A number of difficulties and barriers have to be addressed concerning e-health for consumers with severe mental illness. One possible solution might be to blend e-health with face-to-face delivery of a recovery-oriented treatment, like the Illness Management & Recovery (IMR) programme. This paper describes the development of an e-health application for the IMR programme and the design of an early clustered randomized controlled trial. Method/Design: We developed the e-IMR intervention according to the six-step protocol of Intervention Mapping. Consumers joined the development group to address important and relevant issues for the target group. Decisions during the six-step development process were based on qualitative evaluations of the Illness Management & Recovery programme, structured interviews, discussion in the development group, and literature reviews on qualitative papers concerning consumers with severe mental illness, theoretical models, behavioural change techniques, and telemedicine for consumers with severe mental illness. The aim of the e-IMR intervention is to help consumers with severe mental illness to involve others, manage achieving goals, and prevent relapse. The e-IMR intervention consists of face-to-face delivery of the Illness Management & Recovery programme and an e-health application containing peer-testimonials on videos, follow up on goals and coping strategies, monitoring symptoms, solving problems, and communication opportunities. We designed an early cluster randomized controlled trial that will evaluate the e-IMR intervention. In the control condition the Illness Management & Recovery programme is provided. The main effect-study parameters are: illness management, recovery, psychiatric symptoms severity, self-management, quality of life, and general health. The process of the IMR program will be evaluated on fidelity and feasibility in semi-structured interviews with participants and trainers. Discussion: Intervention Mapping provided a systematic procedure for the development of this e-health intervention for consumers with severe mental illness and the preparation of an early randomized controlled trial

Early intervention for stigma towards mental illness? Promoting positive attitudes towards severe mental illness in primary school children

Purpose Stigma towards severe mental illness (SMI) is widespread, exacerbating mental health problems, and impacting on help-seeking and social inclusion. Anti-stigma campaigns are meeting with success, but results are mixed. Earlier intervention to promote positive mental health literacy rather than challenge stigma, may show promise, but little is known about stigma development or interventions in younger children. This study will investigate (i) children’s knowledge, attitudes and behaviour towards SMI and (ii) whether we can positively influence children’s attitudes before stigma develops. Design/methodology/approach A cross sectional study investigated mental health schema in 7-11 year olds. An experimental intervention investigated whether an indirect contact story-based intervention in 7-8 year olds led to more positive mental health schema. Findings: Young children’s schema were initially positive, and influenced by knowledge and contact with mental illness & intergroup anxiety, but were more stigmatising in older girls as intergroup anxiety increased. The indirect contact intervention was effective in promoting positive mental health schema, partially mediated by knowledge. Social Implications: Intervening early to shape concepts of mental illness more positively, as they develop in young children, may represent a more effective strategy than attempting to challenge and change mental health stigma once it has formed in adolescents and adults. Originality/Value: This study is the first to investigate an intervention targeted at the prevention of stigma towards severe mental illness, in young children, at the point that stigma is emerging

Mental health: promoting healthy minds for living and learning

The Victorian government is committed to building the capacity of schools and early childhood education and care settings to support the mental health and wellbeing of children and young people.  This website has been designed to support staff in these settings to recognise their role in promoting mental health, and to act to create environments where children and young people can thrive, learn and grow. To support this, a range of Promoting Healthy Minds for Living and Learning materials have been developed: Early childhood poster (PDF - 308Kb) Primary school poster (PDF - 239Kb) Secondary school poster (PDF - 282Kb) Flyer (PDF - 406Kb) Overview poster (PDF - 297Kb) Promoting Healthy Minds for Living and Learning has been developed as part of Because Mental Health Matters: Victorian Mental Health Reform Strategy 2009-2019. Improving mental health outcomes for children, young people and their families is a priority of the Mental Health Reform Strategy.  The Strategy envisages a broader system of child and youth (birth- 25 years) and family mental health care involving both promotion of mental health and wellbeing and early identification and intervention for mental illness. What is mental health? Mental health refers to a state of wellbeing in which a person can realise their own abilities, engage in learning, cope with the normal stresses of life, and is able to make a contribution to their community.  Mental health is a combination of both positive feelings and positive functioning. The term “mental health” is often confused with mental illness, or a mental disorder, and while they are related, mental health is more than the absence of a mental illness. Mental health is determined by multiple and interacting social, environmental, psychological and biological factors. Growing research identifies that mental health and wellbeing has a critical role in the development of lifelong learning

KidsMatter Primary Evaluation Final Report

KidsMatter is an approach to the promotion of good mental health, the prevention of mental illness, and early intervention where problems arise. It requires a whole-of-school approach and has four key components – a positive school community; social and emotional learning for students; parenting support and education and early intervention for students with mental health difficulties. Based on approaches already tested by the World Health Organization and the American Collaborative for Academic, Social and Emotional Learning, it has been adapted to suit Australian conditions.KidsMatter Primary and KidsMatter Early Childhood are being conducted in collaboration between beyondblue: the national depression initiative, which is contributing funding of $3.5 million, the Australian Psychological Society, Principals Australia and Early Childhood Australia

Early Childhood Mental Health: A Public Health Approach

Undiagnosed and untreated child mental health problems create a public health emergency in the United States (US). In the US the human suffering, burden of disability, and economic costs associated with mental illness are immense. Mental illness is the second leading cause of disease burden, directly resulting in substantial lost productivity. Behavioral health and prevention research highlight the effectiveness of interventions that reduce risk factors and enhance protective factors associated with mental illness. This focus on prevention and resilience reflects the relatively recent public health approach to mental health. The emphasis on promotion, prevention, and early intervention in a public health approach is especially relevant for young children. Likewise, the social-ecological perspective often used in public health interventions mirrors the multi-tiered influences on young children's social and emotional wellbeing. Finally, child development research shows young children can recover from early detection and early intervention for a mental health problem. One in five children and youth is estimated to experience symptoms of psychiatric disorder each year. Many of the mental health problems diagnosed in school aged children and teenagers originate in early childhood, but there are long delays before diagnosis and treatment are received. Approximately 10% of children experience mental problems to the point of impairment, yet less than 20% of those in need receive treatment. This unmet need in the population most likely to benefit from prevention and early treatment creates a problem of public health significance. Currently, there is little research linking public health approaches to mental health services for children birth to age five. This paper discusses the need for, and relevance of, a public health approach to young children's mental health, and makes recommendations for implementation of that approach

Living with Mentally Ill Parent

The present review seeks to identify and analyze qualitative studies that examined experiences of children whose parents have a mental illness. This study reported that children whose parents have a mental illness had some common experiences. These experiences may have negative effects on children’s coping skills, resilience to tough living conditions and ability to maintain their mental health. In spite of these negative conditions, some of these children have much more self-confidence, resilience and independence because of inner development and early maturation. Some effective intervention programs are needed to promote information to children and other family members about mental illness, coping behaviors. Availability of such psychiatric services and nation-wide programs with professionals to deal with these problems should be organized properly to increase quality of life of these children. Furthermore, qualitative researches that explore the experiences of children whose parents with mental illness should also be conducted in our country

Prev Chronic Dis

Discussions of health care reform emphasize the need for coordinated care, and evidence supports the effectiveness of medical home and integrated delivery system models. However, mental health often is left out of the discussion. Early intervention approaches for children and adolescents in primary care are important given the increased rates of detection of mental illness in youth. Most adults also receive treatment for mental illness from nonspecialists, underscoring the role for mental health in medical home models. Flexible models for coordinated care are needed for people with serious mental illness, who have high rates of comorbid medical problems. Programs implemented in the New York State public mental health system are examples of efforts to better coordinate medical and mental health services

Are lay people good at recognising the symptoms of schizophrenia?

©2013 Erritty, Wydell. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.This article has been made available through the Brunel Open Access Publishing Fund.Aim: The aim of this study was to explore the general public’s perception of schizophrenia symptoms and the need to seekhelp for symptoms. The recognition (or ‘labelling’) of schizophrenia symptoms, help-seeking behaviours and public awareness of schizophrenia have been suggested as potentially important factors relating to untreated psychosis. Method: Participants were asked to rate to what extent they believe vignettes describing classic symptoms (positive and negative) of schizophrenia indicate mental illness. They were also asked if the individuals depicted in the vignettes required help or treatment and asked to suggest what kind of help or treatment. Results: Only three positive symptoms (i.e., Hallucinatory behaviour, Unusual thought content and Suspiciousness) of schizophrenia were reasonably well perceived (above 70%) as indicating mental illness more than the other positive or negative symptoms. Even when the participants recognised that the symptoms indicated mental illness, not everyone recommended professional help. Conclusion: There may be a need to improve public awareness of schizophrenia and psychosis symptoms, particularly regarding an awareness of the importance of early intervention for psychosis