Catholic Communications, Sydney Archdiocese,
28 Mar 2012
Mental health disorders represent the biggest health problem facing young people across Australia. While we have excellent children's hospitals and health resources to successfully treat long term chronic diseases such as type 2 diabetes, we sadly and badly lag behind when it comes to young people with mental disorders such as bi polar, depression or early psychosis.
"Nothing much has changed in the past 10 years. There are still few resources and assistance for 16 to 25 years olds with mental illness," says Dr Elizabeth Scott, Deputy Director of St Vincent's Private Hospital's Young Adult Mental Health facility which was officially opened today.
With its 20 sub-acute inpatient beds, consulting rooms, state of the art technology and purpose built facilities specifically designed for young people, the unit is the first of its kind in Australia.
The groundbreaking facility which is housed inside the hospital's $46 million O'Brien Centre fills a long overdue and urgently needed gap in services for young people with early onset psychosis, mood disorders and conditions such as bi polar and clinical depression.
The unit also represents what Dr Scott and the team at the facility hope will become the model and flagship of a nationwide private mental health service for young people with a focus on early intervention.
Until today, across Australia there was almost nowhere for a young person or their family to turn for help with a mental health disorder.
"Below 18 it is virtually impossible to gain admittance to a public hospital and what few places are available have long waiting lists," says Dr Scott.
Instead when treatment is urgent, the young person will find themselves locked in an emergency unit or adult facility where the focus is for chronically ill older people, containment and restraint and not working out a treatment program for the adolescent, says Dr Scott.
But the new unit at St Vincent's Private hopes to change this and become a model for the mental health care of Australia's young adults
This morning the facility was blessed by the Archbishop of Sydney Cardinal George Pell following the official opening of the new facility by the Governor of NSW, Professor Marie Bashir. On hand for the opening of this important medical landmark were renowned adolescent and general psychiatrist and Director of St Vincent's Alcohol, Drug & Mental Health Program, Dr Peter McGeorge who is also Director of the new unit; Professor Ian Hickie, leading authority on mental health and Executive Director of the Brain and Mind Institute at the University of Sydney; Robert Cusack, Executive Director of St Vincent's & Mater Hospitals; and Mrs Ros Packer, Patron of Friends of St Vincent's.
As well as treating in-patients, out-patients and offering ongoing outreach care after young people are discharged from the facility, the unit will also be a hub for teaching and research into young adult mental health disorders.
"Through our work here and in partnership with research teams at the Brain and Mind Institute and the Black Dog Institute at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, we're hope to have a better understanding of mental health breakdowns among adolescents and what triggers them," Dr Scott says.
It is also hoped that through research, mental health disorders can be flagged and diagnosed at far earlier stages. This way better strategies and treatments can be formulated with interventions carried out at the first sign of the disorder, and better programs developed for the ongoing management of the condition.
While 75% of mental health problems emerging between the ages of 16 and 25, Dr Scott says the reasons for this are not yet fully understood.
"But what we do know is that the brain does not fully develop until around 25. Before this, key regions of the brain are being refined and remodelled to develop into a more adult system. It is a period of great change in the brain and for this reason during adolescence into early adulthood, the mind is particularly vulnerable and can go off track as a result of stress, drugs, sleep deprivation and disturbance from inflammatory processes and other environmental factors," Dr Scott explains.
Other factors may include the breakdown in societal structures, the increasing isolation and vulnerability of young people particularly in Australia's big cities, as well as the tendency for young people to experiment with drugs and alcohol at an earlier age.
Researchers believe early intervention is key, not only to care for young people suffering from mental health issues, but to prevent these issues developing further to become permanent debilitating mental conditions.
Dr Scott says through study, the use of high-tech brain scans and working with young people in the new unit, early diagnosis and early intervention strategies can be developed, and mood disorders arrested, monitored and successfully managed.
"Young people are usually extremely healthy physically. It is their mental health that we need to be looking after," Dr Scott says pointing out that not only is mental ill health amongst young adults a major cause of death and disability, but when the condition is allowed to go untreated in its early stages, will lead to unemployment with long-term social implications such as homelessness.
"There is a high cost to the community quite apart from the cost to the individual and their family where the suffering is enormous," she says.
http://www.sydneycatholic.org/news/latest_news/2012/2012328_210.shtml
28 Mar 2012
Robert Cusack, Executive Director of St Vincent & Mater Health,
Mrs Ros Packer patron of Friends of St Vincent's,
Governor of NSW Professor Marie Bashir, Cardinal George Pell
Mrs Ros Packer patron of Friends of St Vincent's,
Governor of NSW Professor Marie Bashir, Cardinal George Pell
"Nothing much has changed in the past 10 years. There are still few resources and assistance for 16 to 25 years olds with mental illness," says Dr Elizabeth Scott, Deputy Director of St Vincent's Private Hospital's Young Adult Mental Health facility which was officially opened today.
With its 20 sub-acute inpatient beds, consulting rooms, state of the art technology and purpose built facilities specifically designed for young people, the unit is the first of its kind in Australia.
The groundbreaking facility which is housed inside the hospital's $46 million O'Brien Centre fills a long overdue and urgently needed gap in services for young people with early onset psychosis, mood disorders and conditions such as bi polar and clinical depression.
The unit also represents what Dr Scott and the team at the facility hope will become the model and flagship of a nationwide private mental health service for young people with a focus on early intervention.
NSW Governor Prof Marie Bashir meets the Director of
St Vincent's Alcohol, Drug and Mental Health Program,
Dr Peter McGeorge
St Vincent's Alcohol, Drug and Mental Health Program,
Dr Peter McGeorge
"Below 18 it is virtually impossible to gain admittance to a public hospital and what few places are available have long waiting lists," says Dr Scott.
Instead when treatment is urgent, the young person will find themselves locked in an emergency unit or adult facility where the focus is for chronically ill older people, containment and restraint and not working out a treatment program for the adolescent, says Dr Scott.
But the new unit at St Vincent's Private hopes to change this and become a model for the mental health care of Australia's young adults
This morning the facility was blessed by the Archbishop of Sydney Cardinal George Pell following the official opening of the new facility by the Governor of NSW, Professor Marie Bashir. On hand for the opening of this important medical landmark were renowned adolescent and general psychiatrist and Director of St Vincent's Alcohol, Drug & Mental Health Program, Dr Peter McGeorge who is also Director of the new unit; Professor Ian Hickie, leading authority on mental health and Executive Director of the Brain and Mind Institute at the University of Sydney; Robert Cusack, Executive Director of St Vincent's & Mater Hospitals; and Mrs Ros Packer, Patron of Friends of St Vincent's.
As well as treating in-patients, out-patients and offering ongoing outreach care after young people are discharged from the facility, the unit will also be a hub for teaching and research into young adult mental health disorders.
Cardinal Pell blesses the new unit
It is also hoped that through research, mental health disorders can be flagged and diagnosed at far earlier stages. This way better strategies and treatments can be formulated with interventions carried out at the first sign of the disorder, and better programs developed for the ongoing management of the condition.
While 75% of mental health problems emerging between the ages of 16 and 25, Dr Scott says the reasons for this are not yet fully understood.
"But what we do know is that the brain does not fully develop until around 25. Before this, key regions of the brain are being refined and remodelled to develop into a more adult system. It is a period of great change in the brain and for this reason during adolescence into early adulthood, the mind is particularly vulnerable and can go off track as a result of stress, drugs, sleep deprivation and disturbance from inflammatory processes and other environmental factors," Dr Scott explains.
Other factors may include the breakdown in societal structures, the increasing isolation and vulnerability of young people particularly in Australia's big cities, as well as the tendency for young people to experiment with drugs and alcohol at an earlier age.
For those suffering depression, bipolar or similar conditions, alcohol or drugs can often seem a good escape to deal with loneliness or lack of confidence. However the consequences can be severe with the drugs or alcohol exacerbating the problem, triggering terror, fear, paranoia, violence and psychoses.
Dr Scott says through study, the use of high-tech brain scans and working with young people in the new unit, early diagnosis and early intervention strategies can be developed, and mood disorders arrested, monitored and successfully managed.
"Young people are usually extremely healthy physically. It is their mental health that we need to be looking after," Dr Scott says pointing out that not only is mental ill health amongst young adults a major cause of death and disability, but when the condition is allowed to go untreated in its early stages, will lead to unemployment with long-term social implications such as homelessness.
"There is a high cost to the community quite apart from the cost to the individual and their family where the suffering is enormous," she says.
http://www.sydneycatholic.org/news/latest_news/2012/2012328_210.shtml
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