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Young A ustralians with moderate to severe mental health problems: client data and outcomes at C hildren and Y oung P eople's M ental H ealth
Author(s) -
Howe Deborah,
Batchelor Samantha,
Coates Dominiek D.
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
early intervention in psychiatry
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.087
H-Index - 45
eISSN - 1751-7893
pISSN - 1751-7885
DOI - 10.1111/eip.12252
Subject(s) - mental health , mcnemar's test , medicine , depression (economics) , suicidal ideation , scale (ratio) , mental health service , psychiatry , suicide prevention , poison control , medical emergency , statistics , physics , mathematics , quantum mechanics , economics , macroeconomics
Aim Almost a quarter of young A ustralians experience a mental health issue that may become chronic if left untreated. C hildren and Y oung P eople's M ental H ealth ( CYPMH ) is a specialist tertiary service for young people with moderate to severe mental health problems on the C entral C oast in A ustralia. This paper presents an overview of client data and service use collected over a 1 year period specific to the Y outh M ental H ealth ( YMH ) component of the service. Method Client data, including demographic characteristics, service usage, presenting issues and standardized outcome measures, were analysed using SPSS . Clinicians routinely collect MH‐OAT ( M ental H ealth O utcomes and A ssessment T ools) measures at different points in a client's episode of care, and each of these measures was analysed separately. W ilcoxon Z and a series of M c N emar's tests were used to report on the difference between admission and discharge scores. Results During a designated 1 year period, 830 referrals to YMH were received. The most prevalent presenting issue was suicidal ideation followed by deliberate self‐harm and depression. A comparison of admission and discharge outcome scores shows significant improvement by discharge on a range of measures. Specifically, analysis identified significant differences between admission and discharge HoNOSCA (Health of the Nation Outcomes Scales for Children and Adolescents) and CGAS (Children's Global Assessment Scale) scores for young people aged 12–17 and HONOS (Health of the Nation Outcomes Scale) scores for young people aged 18–24. Conclusion The clinical outcomes for young people are positive with improvements seen on a range of measures.