A new project spearheaded by Flinders University, Left to Their Own Devices, seeks to address the prolonged waiting periods Australian teenagers endure to access mental health care.
By supporting General Practitioners (GPs) to support their adolescent patients as they wait for specialist mental health services, Professor Bridianne O’Dea, the Little Heroes Professor in Child and Adolescent Mental Health at the Flinders University Institute for Mental Health and Wellbeing, says they avoid the significant repercussions of delayed treatment access.
O’Dea noted that in Australia, many teens face over 100 days of waiting before they can receive mental health treatment after GP referrals.
“The wait time is a period of significant vulnerability if symptoms are acute, but treatment has not yet begun,” said Professor O’Dea, emphasizing the urgent need for interim solutions.
The project uses digital technology to provide accessible support that does not further delay services or enhance the existing burden on the healthcare system.
Led by Professor O’Dea, the collaborative project includes academics and specialists from the University of Sydney, Black Dog Institute, University of New South Wales, University of Melbourne, Orygen, and Northwestern University in the United States. Together, they will evaluate digital tools for GPs to enhance support for adolescents and their families.
Professor O’Dea’s initiative will work in partnership with both individuals with lived experiences and reliable mental health organisations like SANE Australia, Black Dog Institute, and Grand Pacific Health. It also involves primary care partners from Central and Eastern Sydney and South Eastern NSW Primary Health Networks.
“We will be working closely with GPs and lived experience to create a low-cost, digitally enhanced network of scalable interventions that can help support the psychological wellbeing and safety of adolescents while they await specialist mental health treatment and services,” Professor O’Dea said.
She highlighted the potential impact of these digital solutions on bridging the gap during vulnerable periods.
The initiative has secured $975,579 in funding from the Medical Research Future Fund (MRFF) 2023 Mental Health Research program. The MRFF supports projects that aim to transform health and medical research, promoting health system sustainability and improving outcomes that benefit the community and economy.
This funding marks an essential step in the project’s development, enabling the assembly of a motivated, multidisciplinary team dedicated to enhancing the wellbeing of young Australians afflicted by mental health issues.
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