Development and Validation of a Routine Session-by-Session Experience Measure for Youth Mental Health Services: My Youth Mental Health Session Experience (MySE).

Purpose: The 'My youth mental health Session Experience' (MySE) measure was developed by headspace, Australia's National Youth Mental Health Foundation, in collaboration with young people, for use as a routine session experience measure across its national centre service network. The measure fills a gap in measures needed to implement measurement-informed care in youth mental health care. Participants and Methods: Routinely collected data from 37,201 young people aged 12 to 25 years who commenced an episode of care at one of the 150 headspace centres between 1 July 2021 and 30 June 2022 were used to validate the five-item measure. Results: MySE demonstrated high internal consistency invariant over age and gender groups. There was one latent factor of session experience that all MySE items relate to, although this factor does not adequately capture all the information present in the individual items. A significant age effect showed that young adults reported more positive session experiences than adolescents. Conclusion: MySE demonstrated strong psychometric properties and is suitable for use in youth mental health care as a routine session-by-session experience measure. Such measures are needed to routinely inform clinicians of how young people are experiencing their treatment sessions, thereby contributing to better retention, engagement, and client outcomes through measurement-informed care.

Social disadvantage in early psychosis and its effect on clinical presentation and service access, engagement and use.

Incidence of psychosis varies geographically due to factors such as social disadvantage. Whether this influences the clinical presentation and/or engagement of those experiencing psychosis remains relatively understudied. This study analysed data from young people across Australia accessing ultra-high risk (UHR) or first episode psychosis (FEP) services delivered through the headspace Early Psychosis (hEP) program between June 2017 and March 2021. The cohort was categorised into low, middle, and high tertiles of social disadvantage using the Index of Relative Socioeconomic Disadvantage (IRSD). Data from 3089 participants aged 15-25 were included (1515 UHR, 1574 FEP). The low and middle tertiles for both cohorts had greater percentages of those not in education or employment (NEET), with First Nations or culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds. Clinical presentations to services were similar across all tertiles in both cohorts, however, functioning at presentation varied significantly within the FEP cohort. Significantly lower numbers of direct services were provided in the low tertile of both cohorts, with significantly poorer engagement in the initial three-months also occurring for these young people. This variation in early psychosis service patterns associated with geographical variation in social deprivation demonstrates the need for further research and fine tuning of national early psychosis services.

Sixteen years of innovation in youth mental healthcare: Outcomes for young people attending Australia's headspace centre services.

Australia's headspace initiative is world-leading in nation-wide youth mental healthcare reform for young people aged 12 to 25 years, now with 16 years of implementation. This paper examines changes in the key outcomes of psychological distress, psychosocial functioning, and quality of life for young people accessing headspace centres across Australia for mental health problems. Routinely collected data from headspace clients commencing an episode of care within the data collection period, 1 April 2019 to 30 March 2020, and at 90-day follow-up were analysed. Participants came from the 108 fully-established headspace centres across Australia, and comprised 58,233 young people aged 12-25 years first accessing headspace centres for mental health problems during the data collection period. Main outcome measures were self-reported psychological distress and quality of life, and clinician-reported social and occupational functioning. Most headspace mental health clients presented with depression and anxiety issues (75.21%). There were 35.27% with a diagnosis: overall, 21.74% diagnosed with anxiety, 18.51% with depression, and 8.60% were sub-syndromal. Younger males were more likely to present for anger issues. Cognitive behavioural therapy was the most common treatment. There were significant improvements in all outcome scores over time (P<0.001). From presentation to last service rating, over one-third had significant improvements in psychological distress and a similar proportion in psychosocial functioning; just under half improved in self-reported quality of life. Significant improvement on any of the three outcomes was shown for 70.96% of headspace mental health clients. After 16 years of headspace implementation, positive outcomes are being achieved, particularly when multi-dimensional outcomes are considered. A suite of outcomes that capture meaningful change for young people's quality of life, distress and functioning, is critical for early intervention, primary care settings with diverse client presentations, such as the headspace youth mental healthcare initiative.

Accelerating youth mental health services research.

OBJECTIVE: We describe a research program to advance youth mental health service research in Australia, addressing two core knowledge gaps: the lack of available routine outcome measures and lack of understanding of how to assess and monitor complexity and heterogeneity in illness presentation and trajectory. CONCLUSIONS: Our research identifies better routine outcome measures (ROM) that are: designed specifically for the developmental nuances of the 12-25-year age range; multidimensional; and meaningful to young people, their carers, and service providers. Alongside much-needed new measures of complexity and heterogeneity, these tools will inform service providers to better meet the needs of young people presenting with mental health problems.

Understanding the complexity, patterns, and correlates of alcohol and other substance use among young people seeking help for mental ill-health.

PURPOSE: Use of alcohol and other substances is a multifaceted issue impacting young people across multiple life domains. This paper aims to elucidate patterns of substance use and associated demographic and clinical factors among young people seeking treatment for their mental health. METHODS: Young people (12-25 years old) were recruited from five youth-specific primary mental health ("headspace") services in Australia. Self-reported substance use and harms in the past 3 months were measured using WHO-ASSIST. Network analyses were conducted to evaluate interrelationships between use and harms associated with different substances. Subgroups were then identified based on whether participants reported using high centrality substances, and associated demographic and clinical factors were assessed with multinomial logistic regression. RESULTS: 1107 youth participated. 70% reported use of at least one substance in the past 3 months, with around 30% of those reporting related health, social, legal or financial problems. Network analysis highlighted substantial interconnections between use and harm indicators for all substances, with amphetamine-type stimulants (ATS) and cannabis being high central substances. Higher levels of substance use and harms were reported in subgroups with ATS or cannabis use and different risk factors were associated with these subgroups. CONCLUSIONS: Findings highlight the importance of screening for substance use in youth primary mental healthcare settings, offering a key opportunity for early intervention. Clinicians should be aware of the inner connections of use and harms of different drugs and the role of cannabis and amphetamine use as a marker for more substance use profiles.

Prevalence and Correlates of Tobacco Use in Young People Presenting to Australian Primary Mental Health Services.

INTRODUCTION: In Australian youth primary mental health settings it is unclear as to the rates and correlates of tobacco use at service entry. AIMS AND METHODS: We aimed to delineate the prevalence and correlates of recent tobacco use (eg, cigarettes, chewing tobacco, cigars, etc) in the past 3 months in young people at their first presentation to primary mental health services as a function of age. Cross-sectional self-report measures were collected using a tablet device from young people presenting to one of five Australian primary mental health (headspace) services. Logistic regression assessed correlates of past 3-month tobacco use in adolescents (12-17 years) and young adults (18-25 years). RESULTS: Regular (at least monthly) tobacco use in the past 3 months was found in 23.4% (n = 247, N = 1055) of the sample. Increasing age (odds ratio [OR] =1.47 per year; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.15 to 1.89), male sex (OR = 1.98; 95% CI: 1.02 to 3.83), being in a relationship (OR = 1.96; 95% CI: 1.01 to 3.82), and poorer functioning (OR = 0.95 per unit Social and Occupational Functioning Assessment Scale increase; 95% CI: 0.91 to 0.99) predicted regular tobacco use in adolescents, but not in young adults. Living in a regional location (OR = 2.10; 95% CI: 1.40 to 3.13) and not studying (OR = 0.47; 95% CI: 0.31 to 0.73) predicted tobacco use in young adults. Having a diagnosed mental illness other than depression and/or anxiety predicted tobacco use in both groups (adolescents OR = 2.49; 95% CI: 1.26 to 4.94; young adults OR = 1.80; 95% CI: 1.13 to 2.89). CONCLUSIONS: Nearly a quarter of young people with mental illness are using tobacco, supporting the need for early intervention approaches. Adapting treatment targets by age could improve the impact of interventions in adolescents versus young adults. Poor functioning and lack of engagement in education were associated with tobacco use in both age groups, respectively; however, more research is needed to determine the direction of these relationships. IMPLICATIONS: Young people with mental illness have a high prevalence of recent tobacco use and this is evident when they first present to youth primary mental health services. Youth-oriented mental health settings may provide a unique window for tobacco use prevention and early intervention to reduce smoking in people with mental illness, a priority population. Age-specific targeted approaches might be needed in adolescents and young adults.

Heterogeneity of quality of life in young people attending primary mental health services.

AIMS: The utility of quality of life (QoL) as an outcome measure in youth-specific primary mental health care settings has yet to be determined. We aimed to determine: (i) whether heterogeneity on individual items of a QoL measure could be used to identify distinct groups of help-seeking young people; and (ii) the validity of these groups based on having clinically meaningful differences in demographic and clinical characteristics. METHODS: Young people, at their first presentation to one of five primary mental health services, completed a range of questionnaires, including the Assessment of Quality of Life-6 dimensions adolescent version (AQoL-6D). Latent class analysis (LCA) and multivariate multinomial logistic regression were used to define classes based on AQoL-6D and determine demographic and clinical characteristics associated with class membership. RESULTS: 1107 young people (12-25 years) participated. Four groups were identified: (i) no-to-mild impairment in QoL; (ii) moderate impairment across dimensions but especially mental health and coping; (iii) moderate impairment across dimensions but especially on the pain dimension; and (iv) poor QoL across all dimensions along with a greater likelihood of complex and severe clinical presentations. Differences between groups were observed with respect to demographic and clinical features. CONCLUSIONS: Adding multi-attribute utility instruments such as the AQoL-6D to routine data collection in mental health services might generate insights into the care needs of young people beyond reducing psychological distress and promoting symptom recovery. In young people with impairments across all QoL dimensions, the need for a holistic and personalised approach to treatment and recovery is heightened.

The clinical and functional outcomes of a large naturalistic cohort of young people accessing national early psychosis services.

AIMS: Services for individuals with a first episode of psychosis or at ultra-high risk of psychosis have become a treatment model of choice in mental health care. The longitudinal changes in clinical and functional outcomes as a result of real-world treatment remain under-reported. METHODS: We analysed data from first episode of psychosis and ultra-high risk services delivered across Australian primary youth mental health care services known as headspace between 19 June 2017 and 30 September 2019. Outcome measures were completed and entered into a minimum dataset every 90 days a participant was receiving treatment and included psychiatric symptomatology (Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale and psychological distress, K10) and psychosocial functioning (Social and Occupational Functioning Assessment Scale and My Life Tracker). Linear mixed-effects models were used to evaluate changes in outcome over time. RESULTS: Outcome data from a total of 1252 young people were evaluated (643 first episode of psychosis, 609 ultra-high risk). Of those who entered ultra-high risk services, 11.8% transitioned to first episode of psychosis services. Overall, substantial improvement in clinical (Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale, K10) and functional (Social and Occupational Functioning Assessment Scale, My Life Tracker) outcomes were seen across groups and outcomes. Ultra-high risk patients showed a greater reduction in distress symptoms, while first episode of psychosis patients experienced a greater reduction in positive psychosis symptoms. Although clinical outcomes showed a plateau effect after approximately 3 months of care, improvement in functional outcomes (Social and Occupational Functioning Assessment Scale, My Life Tracker) continued later in treatment. CONCLUSION: These findings support the use of real-time, real-world and low-cost administrative data to rigorously evaluate symptomatic and functional outcomes in early psychosis treatment settings. Findings that functional outcomes improve past the remittance of clinical outcomes also support the functional recovery focus of early psychosis services and remaining high levels of distress suggest the need for ultra-high risk services to extend beyond 6 months of care.

Validation of a brief tool to assess and monitor suicidal ideation: The Youth Suicide Ideation Screen (YSIS-3).

BACKGROUND: . Suicidal ideation is common in young people. Assessment and monitoring can help to understand its dynamic nature and inform treatment planning. AIMS: . The aims were to evaluate psychometric properties of a brief screening tool - the Youth Suicide Ideation Screen-3 item (YSIS-3) and determine its correlation with the Suicidal Ideation Question-Junior (SIQ-JR) and measures of depressive and anxiety symptoms a. METHOD: . Cronbach's alpha (α) was used to evaluate internal consistency of the YSIS-3 in 1107 young people. Convergent validity was evaluated using network analysis based on individual item polychoric correlations. Structural equation modelling was used to understand latent constructs; pearson product moment correlations to validate the integrity of the underlying construct. and two-way mixed Intraclass Correlation Coefficient to examine longitudinal stability and Cohen's d to assess sensitivity to change. RESULTS: . The YSIS-3 was found to have internal consistency, convergent validity and criteria validity almost identical to the 15-item SIQ-JR. There was a high correlation (0.91) between the latent factor underpinning YSIS-3 and SIQ-JR. The YSIS-3 was more sensitive to change among those presenting with suicidal ideation at baseline. CONCLUSIONS: . The YSIS-3 is a valid measure for the assessment and monitoring of suicidal ideation, and is sensitive to change. This brief measure can contribute to regular monitoring of the presence and nature of suicidal ideation, which when included in comprehensive assessment, will inform the clinical management of those at risk of suicide.

An Online Platform to Provide Work and Study Support for Young People With Mental Health Challenges: Observational and Survey Study.

BACKGROUND: Young people, aged 15-25 years, are at a critical stage of life when they need to navigate vocational pathways and achieve work and study outcomes. Those with mental health problems are particularly at risk of disengagement with work and study and need effective support. The headspace Work and Study (hWS) service is an innovative online platform implemented in Australia to support young people aged 15-25 years with mental health problems to achieve work and study goals. OBJECTIVE: This study aims to determine whether the hWS service has been implemented as planned, provides appropriate support for young people, and achieves its main goals. METHODS: Data were collected via 2 methodologies: (1) the hWS Minimum Data Set, which includes data on all clients in the service (n=1139), services delivered, and service impact; and (2) a survey of hWS clients who volunteered to participate in an evaluation of the hWS service (n=137). RESULTS: The service was accessed by its defined target group, young people aged 15-25 years with mental health and work and study difficulties. Young people found the online platform to be acceptable, and the assistance provided and clinical integration useful; many young people achieved positive work and study outcomes, particularly those who engaged more times with the service. More assistance was sought for work than study goals, suggesting that the transition to work may be particularly challenging for young people. One-third (298/881, 33.8%) of the sample for the service impact analyses achieved at least 1 primary work or study outcome, and this increased to 44.5% (225/506) for those who engaged with 5 or more sessions, demonstrating that greater engagement with the service produced better outcomes. CONCLUSIONS: Critical work and study support can be effectively delivered via an online modality to young people with common mental health problems. Digital services are scaleable to reach many young people and are of particular value for those with difficulty accessing in-person services.

Patterns of Youth Mental Health Service Use and Discontinuation: Population Data From Australia's Headspace Model of Care.

OBJECTIVE: Young people (ages 12-25) experience the highest risk of developing mental disorders; however, their uptake of and engagement with treatment is low. The study explored sociodemographic predictors of attendance and discontinuation of mental health services in a large, population-based sample. METHODS: Data were from the minimum data set collected from young people (ages 12-25) who attended headspace, Australia's National Youth Mental Health Foundation, from 2013 to 2017 (N=80,502). Data on key demographic and clinical variables and practitioner ratings of need for ongoing care were analyzed. Cox regression was used to examine the association between sociodemographic factors and rates of discontinuation based on practitioner-rated need for ongoing treatment. RESULTS: The mean±SD number of sessions attended during the first episode of care was 4.6±4.4 sessions (median=3). Session-by-session discontinuation rates ranged from 14% to 19% across 10 sessions. The proportion discontinuing treatment before session 11 was 71.2%. Analysis of a subgroup (N=40,039) showed that 24% of those who discontinued treatment later returned to the same headspace center for a second episode of care. Those who were most at risk of discontinuation were older (ages 18-25), male, heterosexual, Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander, and living in a rural location. CONCLUSIONS: Sociodemographic factors were found to be associated with treatment discontinuation, and some young people followed a pathway in and out of mental health treatment. Further exploration is needed to determine the appropriate length and type of care for specific sociodemographic groups and how best to tailor treatment accordingly.

Young People's Satisfaction With the Online Mental Health Service eheadspace: Development and Implementation of a Service Satisfaction Measure.

BACKGROUND: Online youth mental health services are an expanding approach to meeting service need and can be used as the first step in a stepped-care approach. However, limited evidence exists regarding satisfaction with online services, and there is no standardized service satisfaction measure. OBJECTIVE: This study implemented an online youth mental health service satisfaction questionnaire within eheadspace, an online youth mental health service. The aims were to test the questionnaire's psychometric properties and identify current levels of satisfaction among service users, as well as to identify client and service contact characteristics that affect satisfaction. METHODS: Data were collected from 2280 eheadspace clients via an online questionnaire advertised and accessed through the eheadspace service platform between September 2016 and February 2018. Client and service contact characteristics, potential outcomes, and session and service feedback data were collected. RESULTS: The service satisfaction questionnaire demonstrated high internal consistency for the overall satisfaction scale (alpha=.95) and its three subscales: session satisfaction, potential outcomes, and service satisfaction. A three-factor model was the best fit to the data, although including a higher order unidimensional construct of overall satisfaction was also a reasonable fit. Overall, young people were very satisfied with eheadspace (mean 3.60, SD 0.83). Service characteristics, but not client characteristics, were significantly associated with satisfaction. Young people were more satisfied with eheadspace when they had greater engagement as evident through receiving esupport rather than briefer service provision, having a longer session and greater interaction with the clinician, and not previously attending a face-to-face headspace center. CONCLUSIONS: The online youth mental health service satisfaction questionnaire developed for and implemented in eheadspace showed good psychometric properties. The measure is brief, has good internal consistency, and has a clear factor structure. The measure could be adapted for use in other online youth mental health services. The young people using eheadspace and completing the feedback survey were highly satisfied. Greater engagement with the online service was shown to be associated with greater satisfaction. No specific client demographic groups were shown to be more or less satisfied.

Development and validation of MyLifeTracker: a routine outcome measure for youth mental health.

PURPOSE: Routine outcome measures are now being designed for session-by-session use, with emphasis on clinically meaningful items and sensitivity to change. Despite an increasing mental health service focus for young people aged 12-25 years, there is a lack of outcome measures that are designed to be used across this age group. Consequently, MyLifeTracker (MLT) was developed as a brief mental health outcome measure designed for young people for routine use. It consists of the following five items targeting areas of importance to young people: general well-being, day-to-day activities, relationships with friends, relationships with family, and general coping. PARTICIPANTS AND METHODS: The measure was tested with 75,893 young people aged 12-25 years attending headspace centers across Australia for mental health-related issues. RESULTS: MLT showed a robust unidimensional factor structure and appropriate reliability. It exhibited good concurrent validity against well-validated measures of psychological distress, well-being, functioning, and life satisfaction. The measure was further demonstrated to be sensitive to change. CONCLUSION: MLT provides a psychometrically sound mental health outcome measure for young people. The measure taps into items that are meaningful to young people and provides an additional clinical support tool for clinicians and clients during therapy. The measure is brief and easy to use and has been incorporated into an electronic system that routinely tracks session-by-session change and produces time-series charts for the ease of use and interpretation.

Development of the headspace Family and Friends Satisfaction Scale: Findings from a pilot study.

AIMS: The primary aim of this pilot study was to determine the psychometric properties of the 18-item headspace Family and Friends Satisfaction Scale (hFAFSS). METHODS: During August 2015, staff from 22 headspace centres approached family members and friends of young people attending headspace to complete the hFAFSS. Principal components analysis with oblique Promin rotation and polychoric correlations were used to assess the factor structure of the hFAFSS. RESULTS: There were 277 usable responses. Satisfaction was high, resulting in little variance. Parallel analyses suggested that the scale items tapped a single factor (68% of variance). CONCLUSIONS: This study is one of the first attempts to measure the satisfaction of family and friends with primary care-based youth mental health services. Satisfaction of family members and friends was shown to be high, but limited variance restricts the usability of the hFAFSS as an evaluation measure, and revision and further testing is needed.

Young men's access to community-based mental health care: qualitative analysis of barriers and facilitators.

BACKGROUND: Young men experiencing mental ill health report the lowest rates of professional help-seeking of any demographic group across the lifespan. This phase of life (i.e. adolescence and emerging adulthood) also corresponds to a period of disconnection from healthcare services for young men. AIMS: The present exploratory qualitative study aimed to identify barriers and facilitators to mental health care, as identified by a sample of young help-seeking men and staff involved in mental health service provision. METHOD: Interviews and focus groups were undertaken with 25 young males (mean = 18.80 years, SD = 3.56) and four service providers. Participants were recruited from headspace enhanced primary care early intervention centres in Australia. RESULTS: Thematic analysis indicated four overarching barriers and facilitators. The identified barriers were male role expectations, talk therapy as unknown territory, difficulties navigating the system and intake processes. The identified facilitators were positive initial contact, effective cross-sector partnerships, availability of male practitioners and use of targeted messaging. CONCLUSIONS: Given the ongoing low rates of help-seeking, high rates of suicide and other adverse outcomes for young men, priority research and clinical attention is needed for this group. Recommendations are offered for future research, including suggestions for implementation of targeted strategies addressing gender-based health needs.

Satisfaction with youth mental health services: further scale development and findings from headspace - Australia's National Youth Mental Health Foundation.

AIMS: This study aimed to determine the psychometric properties of the headspace youth (mental health) service satisfaction scale (YSSS), a 14-item purpose-designed scale for use with adolescents and young adults attending headspace centres, and to examine the level of satisfaction with headspace centre services and the client characteristics that predict this. METHODS: There were 21 354 eligible headspace clients who had received more than one service over the 12-month data collection period during 2013-2014, and 12 436 (58%) completed a satisfaction scale. headspace clients could optionally self-complete the satisfaction scale at the beginning of visits 2, 5, 10 and 15. Clients' demographic and clinical characteristics were also recorded. RESULTS: Factor analysis identified a four-factor solution for the scale and internal consistency of the subscales was acceptable to excellent. Satisfaction with headspace was high and increased over time for those who completed the scale multiple times. Several demographic and clinical characteristics predicted the likelihood of completion and level of satisfaction, with younger age shown to be a persistent predictor of lower satisfaction. CONCLUSIONS: Client satisfaction with headspace is high and increases with ongoing engagement. Development of the headspace YSSS contributes a new client satisfaction scale with tested psychometric properties for adolescents and young adults engaged in mental health services, providing an essential tool for youth mental health services to routinely evaluate the experiences of young people accessing their services.

Who Are the Young People Choosing Web-based Mental Health Support? Findings From the Implementation of Australia's National Web-based Youth Mental Health Service, eheadspace.

BACKGROUND: The adolescent and early adult years are periods of peak prevalence and incidence for most mental disorders. Despite the rapid expansion of Web-based mental health care, and increasing evidence of its effectiveness, there is little research investigating the characteristics of young people who access Web-based mental health care. headspace, Australia's national youth mental health foundation, is ideally placed to explore differences between young people who seek Web-based mental health care and in-person mental health care as it offers both service modes for young people, and collects corresponding data from each service type. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to provide a comprehensive profile of young people seeking Web-based mental health care through eheadspace (the headspace Web-based counseling platform), and to compare this with the profile of those accessing help in-person through a headspace center. METHODS: Demographic and clinical presentation data were collected from all eheadspace clients aged 12 to 25 years (the headspace target age range) who received their first counseling session between November 1, 2014 and April 30, 2015 via online chat or email (n=3414). These Web-based clients were compared with all headspace clients aged 12 to 25 who received their first center-based counseling service between October 1, 2014 and March 31, 2015 (n=20,015). RESULTS: More eheadspace than headspace center clients were female (78.1% compared with 59.1%), and they tended to be older. A higher percentage of eheadspace clients presented with high or very high levels of psychological distress (86.6% compared with 73.2%), but they were at an earlier stage of illness on other indicators of clinical presentation compared with center clients. CONCLUSIONS: The findings of this study suggest that eheadspace is reaching a unique client group who may not otherwise seek help or who might wait longer before seeking help if in-person mental health support was their only option. Web-based support can lead young people to seek help at an earlier stage of illness and appears to be an important component in a stepped continuum of mental health care.

Changes in psychological distress and psychosocial functioning in young people visiting headspace centres for mental health problems.

OBJECTIVES: To examine changes in psychological distress and psychosocial functioning in young people presenting to headspace centres across Australia for mental health problems. DESIGN: Analysis of routine data collected from headspace clients who had commenced an episode of care between 1 April 2013 and 31 March 2014, and at 90-day follow-up. PARTICIPANTS: A total of 24 034 people aged 12-25 years who had first presented to one of the 55 fully established headspace centres for mental health problems during the data collection period. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Main reason for presentation, types of therapeutic services provided, Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K10) scores, and Social and Occupational Functioning Assessment Scale (SOFAS) scores. RESULTS: Most headspace mental health clients presented with symptoms of depression and anxiety and were likely to receive cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT). Younger males were more likely than other age- and sex-defined groups to present for anger and behavioural problems, while younger females were more likely to present for deliberate self-harm. From presentation to last assessment, over one-third of clients had significant improvements in psychological distress (K10) and a similar proportion in psychosocial functioning (SOFAS). Sixty per cent of clients showed significant improvement on one or both measures. CONCLUSIONS: Data regarding outcomes for young people using mental health care services similar to headspace centres are scarce, but the current results compare favourably with those reported overseas, and show positive outcomes for young people using headspace centres.

The services provided to young people through the headspace centres across Australia.

OBJECTIVES: To describe the services provided to young people aged 12-25 years who attend headspace centres across Australia, and how these services are being delivered. DESIGN: A census of headspace clients commencing an episode of care between 1 April 2013 and 31 March 2014. PARTICIPANTS: All young people first attending one of the 55 fully established headspace centres during the data collection period (33,038 young people). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Main reason for presentation, wait time, service type, service provider type, funding stream. RESULTS: Most young people presented for mental health problems and situational problems (such as bullying or relationship problems); most of those who presented for other problems also received mental health care services as needed. Wait time for the first appointment was 2 weeks or less for 80.1% of clients; only 5.3% waited for more than 4 weeks. The main services provided were a mixture of intake and assessment and mental health care, provided mainly by psychologists, intake workers and allied mental health workers. These were generally funded by the headspace grant and the Medicare Benefits Schedule. CONCLUSIONS: headspace centres are providing direct and indirect access to mental health care for young people.

Social influences on seeking help from mental health services, in-person and online, during adolescence and young adulthood.

BACKGROUND: This study provides the first comprehensive empirical evidence of developmental changes in the social influences on seeking mental health care, both in-person and online, during the critical lifestages for mental health of adolescence and young adulthood. METHODS: Main source of help-seeking influence was determined via self-report for all young people accessing youth-targeted mental health services in Australia for a first episode of care over a 12 month period during 2013. This comprised 30,839 young people who accessed in-person services and 7,155 clients of the online service. RESULTS: Results show a major developmental shift in help-seeking influence across the age range, which varied for males and females, and a striking difference between the online and in-person service modalities. The dominant influence online, regardless of age, was the young person themself. In contrast, for in-person services, the dominant influence during adolescence was family, but this changed markedly in late adolescence to favour self-influence, with a lessor, but still substantial effect of family. The influence of friends was surprisingly low. CONCLUSIONS: To support young people with mental health problems to access mental health care, the personal connection of parents and family needs to be engaged to encourage in-person service use through better mental health literacy, particularly for adolescents. In the online environment, ways to ensure that young people themselves are guided to appropriate services are required.