Volume 202 - Issue 8
Let children cry
Authors: Patrick D McGorry, Debra J Rickwood and Ian B Hickie
Med J Aust 2015; 202 (8): 418. || doi: 10.5694/mja14.01681
Published online: 4 May 2015
Published online: 4 May 2015
Psychological and behavioural interventions that focus on building coping skills, resilience and a healthy lifestyle are important
To the Editor: We believe that Jureidini1 challenges one of the fundamental ethical principles of medicine; namely, a doctor's duty to relieve suffering whenever possible. While we willingly accept this principle when dealing with physical pain, why should it be called into question when dealing with mental suffering? For young people and families directly affected by suicidal behaviour, social isolation, exclusion from education and employment, and worsening mental and physical health, a staged approach to intervention is entirely appropriate.2
We now have extensive evidence from epidemiological and clinical studies that mental disorders affect more than 50% of young people during their transition to adulthood.3,4 When clinically significant, these disorders result directly in premature death, widespread disability, failure to reach potential, and huge economic costs.2
In Australia, headspace services2 and other online psychological and social support options (eg, http://www.eheadspace.org.au; http://www.youthbeyondblue.com; http://au.reachout.com) ensure that distressed young people can access measured and appropriately targeted clinical assessment and psychosocial care. headspace services prioritise strengths-based approaches for young people and provide psychological and behavioural interventions that focus on building coping skills, resilience and a healthy lifestyle. Indeed, the majority of headspace clients receive these interventions rather than psychotropic medication.5 Newly available data highlight the functional gains associated with these approaches.6,7
Competing interests
Patrick McGorry is a director of the board of headspace. Debra Rickwood is the Chief Scientific Advisor, Evidence and Knowledge Transfer, headspace. Ian Hickie played a part in the design and implementation of headspace and was a member of its board until 2012.
References
- Jureidini JN. Let children cry. Med J Aust 2014; 201: 612-613. _ENREF_1
- McGorry PD, Goldstone SD, Parker AG, et al. Cultures for mental health care of young people: an Australian blueprint for reform. Lancet Psychiatry 2014; 1: 559-568. 2
- Copeland W, Shanahan L, Costello EJ, Angold A. Cumulative prevalence of psychiatric disorders by young adulthood: a prospective cohort analysis from the Great Smoky Mountains Study. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry 2011; 50: 252-261. 3
- Gibb SJ, Fergusson DM, Horwood LJ. Burden of psychiatric disorder in young adulthood and life outcomes at age 30. Br J Psychiatry 2010; 197: 122-127. lefthere
- Cross SP, Hermens DF, Hickie IB. Treatment patterns and short-term outcomes in an early intervention youth mental health service. Early Interv Psychiatry 2014 Sep 27 [Epub ahead of print]. doi: 10.1111/eip.12191. 5
- Rickwood DJ, Telford NR, Mazzer KR, et al. Services provided to young people through the headspace centres across Australia. Med J Aust 2015. In press. 6
- Rickwood DJ, Mazzer KR, Telford NR, et al. Changes in psychological distress and psychosocial functioning for young people accessing headspace centres for mental health problems. Med J Aust 2015. In press. 7