Volume 199 · Issue 3 · Supplement

A family-focused approach enables early identification and intervention to prevent mental illness in children and their familiesSince we first wrote in the MJA about children of parents with mental illness in 1995, there have been substantial developments in our knowledge of, and responses to, these families.1 At that time, prevalence rates for children living with ...

Vicki Cowling BSW, MA, ACSW(Clinical) · Patrick D McGorry MD, PhD

Summary Up to one in five young people live in families with a parent who has a mental illness. There are various genetic, individual, family and environmental risk factors for children living in these families. Outcomes for children vary according to factors related to a parent’s mental illness as well as certain environmental ...

Andrea E Reupert PhD · Darryl J Maybery PhD · Nicholas M Kowalenko BM BS, FRANZCP

To the Editor: It is becoming increasingly recognised that consumer and carer participation improves both quality and outcomes of health care.1 The Children of Parents with Mental Illness (COPMI) national initiative is a health promotion program supporting better mental health outcomes for children whose parents have a mental illness (http://www.copmi.net.au). COPMI produces and provides information ...

Lydia C Trowse · Joanne G Cook · Tyson J A Clooney

Summary The general-practice setting provides a unique opportunity to positively influence the impact of mental illness on individuals and families. Intervention can begin from the moment an individual seeks professional help. Using a family-focused approach, and supporting parents to develop practical strategies to promote resilience in their children, can aid parents’ recovery and ...

Michaela J Baulderstone BM BS, DCH, FRACGP · Bradley S Morgan BCH(AppSciOT), MHID · Elizabeth A Fudge BCH(AppSciSP), MSci(PHC)

Early interventions targeting adverse influences on young children and their parents can improve children’s outcomesOne in five young people in Australia, including infants, toddlers and preschoolers, lives in a family with a parent with a mental illness.1 Families affected by mental illness are more likely than other families to experience poverty and social isolation,2 and ...

Nicholas M Kowalenko BM BS, FRANZCP, CertAdvTrngChild AdolescPsychiatry · Sarah P Mares BM BS, FRANZCP, CertChildPsychol · Louise K Newman MB BS(Hons), PhD, FRANZCP · Anne E Sved Williams MB BS, FRANZCP, DipPsychother · Rosalind M Powrie BM BS, FRANZCP, AccredChildAdolesc Psychiatrist · Karin T M van Doesum PhD

AbstractObjective: To identify and describe intervention programs to improve outcomes for children whose parents have a mental illness.Data sources: Grey and black literature was sourced from (i) three previous reviews/scoping studies, (ii) PsycINFO and MEDLINE searches of English, German and Dutch papers, and (iii) in consultation with researchers, clinicians, consumers and ...

Andrea E Reupert PhD, GradDipCounsPsych, BA · Rose Cuff DipOT · Louisa Drost MSc · Kim Foster PhD · Karin T M van Doesum PhD · Floor van Santvoort MSc

Systematic national programs are effectively helping children break the cycle of depression and other mental health problems in familiesDepression is a public health problem of major proportions. In Australia, the prevalence rate for depression is over 15% in adults, and similar rates of illness have been reported around the world.1,2 Based on an analysis of ...

William R Beardslee MD · Tytti S Solantaus MD · Bradley S Morgan BCH, AppSci(OT), MHID · Tracy R Gladstone PhD · Nicholas M Kowalenko FRANZCP

AbstractObjective: To evaluate the obstetric and neonatal outcomes of pregnant women with severe mental illness (SMI) who attended a specialist multidisciplinary antenatal clinic in Perth, Western Australia.Design, setting and participants: A retrospective case-note audit of outcomes from the Childbirth and Mental Illness Antenatal Clinic (CAMI clinic) at King Edward Memorial Hospital ...

Thinh N Nguyen MB BS, FRANZCP, CertChildAdolPsych · Deb Faulkner MPsych, PhD · Jacqueline S Frayne MB BS, DRANZCOG, FRACGP · Suzanna Allen RN, RM, BScN · Yvonne L Hauck BScN, MSc, PhD · Daniel Rock PhD, FRSPH · Jonathan Rampono MB BS, FRANZCP

AbstractObjective: To determine the effect of the Mental Health Positive Parenting Program (MHPPP) on parenting practices of parents reporting a mental health problem.Design, setting and participants: A prospective before-and-after examination of positive parenting skills and parent-reported child outcomes among parents of children aged 2–10 years who had self-reported a mental health problem. One hundred ...

Ruth F Phelan BA, DipEd, AccredTriplePFacilitator · Deborah J Howe BA(SocSci), MPH, MHA · Emma L Cashman BSc(Psych)(Hons) · Samantha H Batchelor BAppSci(OT), GradCertPH

Summary A significant proportion of fathers living with their natural, adopted, step or foster children experience mental illness. Psychiatric illness among fathers can have a devastating impact on children’s wellbeing, and even milder forms of paternal mental illness can have serious developmental effects on children. While several pathways linking paternal mental illness with ...

Richard J Fletcher PhD · O'Neil N Maharaj BMed · Chloe H Fletcher Watson BMed · Chris May BA, MBA · Nigel Skeates MPsych · Stefan Gruenert DPsych

AbstractObjective: To identify the key goals that are established by children and parents from families in which parents have substance use and/or mental health problems, and the level of progress achieved towards goals over 1 year of case management.Design, setting and participants: Participants from three rural sites of a New South Wales non-government agency ...

Darryl J Maybery PhD · Melinda J Goodyear BBSc, MBSc · Andrea E Reupert BA, GradDipCounsPsych, PhD · Marillyn K Harkness