Early Intervention: A New Paradigm in Youth Mental Health

Craig A Hodges*, Annemarie Wright, Prevention, Promotion and Primary Care (PPP) Program - Youth Program Mental Health Services for Kids and Youth, Melbourne, Australia.

The mental health of young people has become a serious concern in recent years due to the recognition that the mental health of young people is on the decline. This decline is all the more remarkable given the improvements in physical well-being and standards of living for most young people, and the decline in traditional causes of morbidity and mortality. With a rising tide of young people being affected by these disorders, we have witnessed an increase in untreated prevalence, leaving many young people at risk of developing persistent disorders with potentially serious and even life threatening consequences.

Preventive intervention programs are designed to decrease the incidence, prevalence and negative outcomes of a disorder. Early case identification and intensive treatment of the first episode also constitutes a preventively oriented strategy which should reduce prevalence, cost and morbidity. This has led to a shifi in focus to the early phase of mental illness and the important role which early detection and intervention could play in reducing the impact of mental health problems in young people. Efficacy of established treatment for adult disorders remains unclear in young people where there is greater potential for early intervention and secondary prevention, consequently more research and development is required, along with evaluation, in this area

The Promotion Prevention and Primary Care Program at MH-SKY is concerned with the development of a framework for early intervention with young people at risk of developing a high prevalence disorder. This paper will focus on the work undertaken by the program to date and the innovative way in which the program has used intersectoral collaboration to flirther expand the new paradigm of early intervention across a broad range of sectors working with young people.