DOCUMENT RESUME ED 460 320 CG 031 068 TITLE AusEinetter, 1998. INSTITUTION Australian Early Intervention Network for Mental Health in Young People, Bedford Park, South Australia. SPONS AGENCY Australian Commonwealth Dept. of Health and Family Services, Canberra. ISSN ISSN-1329-8720 PUB DATE 1998-00-00 NOTE 53p.; Five issues were produced in 1998. For the 1997 series, see ED 444 038. AVAILABLE FROM Australian Early Intervention Network for Mental Health in Young People, C/- CAMHS Southern, Flinders Medical Center, Bedford Park, South Australia 5042. For full text: http://auseinet.flinders.edu.au. PUB TYPE Collected Works Serials (022) JOURNAL CIT AusEinetter; n3-7 1998 EDRS PRICE MF01/PC03 Plus Postage. DESCRIPTORS *Adolescents; Children; Foreign Countries; *Intervention; *Mental Health; National Programs; *Prevention; Programs; Suicide IDENTIFIERS Australia , ABSTRACT This publication contains the 1998 issues of the Australian Early Intervention Network for Mental Health in Young People newsletters for health professionals. The newsletters disseminate information about the national and local initiatives for intervention and prevention of mental health problems in young children and youth. Each issue also offers news items on upcoming forums, workshops, or support groups; information on health topics; and reports from start-up operations of new programs. Guest articles in these issues include: "Early Intervention in Youth Suicide in Australia"; "Future Pathways for Prevention and Early Intervention: 'Prevention for the Nineties'" (Patrick McCorry); "Early Intervention for Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder" (Philip Hazell); "Early Intervention of Indigenous Social and Emotional Health Problems" (Ernest Hunter); "Early Intervention: Its Place in the Prevention of Youth Suicide" (Penny Mitchell); "What Is Normal and What Is Abnormal?" (Robert Kosky); and "Promoting Family and Community Resilience in Indigenous Communities: Cultural Adaptation of the Resourceful Adolescent Parent Program" (Paul Harnett, Colleen Clarke, Ian Shochet) . (Contains 21 references.) (JDM) Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document. C=1 AusEinetter 1998 U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION Office of Educational Research and Improvement EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC) 0 This document has been reproduced as PERMISSION TO REPRODUCE AND received from the person or organization DISSEMINATE THIS MATERIAL HAS originating it. BEEN GRANTED BY 0 Minor changes have been made to improve reproduction quality. 00 Points of view or opinions stated in this document do not necessarily represent official OERI position or policy. TO THE EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC) CO 1 0 0 2 AVAILABLE BESTCOPY ISSN 1329-8720 Issue 3 - 1/98 Ear ILy Intervention in Youth the first few months there was pressure to fund some major initiatives in training for general SufiefideihniAustrallfia practitioners, and, as a consequence, some felt that the funding had occurred before an overall The Commonwealth Youth Suicide Prevention funding model was clear. However,the Advisory Group helditslastmeetingin rationale for each of the major areas of funding Canberra last month; up to that point it had was clear (Mental Health Branch, 1995a & advised Mental Health Branch, and through 1995b), each of the processes followed due them theFederal Ministerfor Health and tender process, and the many applications for FamilyServices,ontheNationalYouth each major area were carefully scrutinised in Suicide Prevention Strategy (NYSPS).In fact depth by subcommittees of YSPAG which co- YSPAG had responsibility over two and a bit opted professionals with special expertise where years for the $13m of the YouthSuicide necessary. The overarching model adopted was Prevention Initiative (most of which reaches that of Mrazek and Haggerty (1994), and a basic completion by the end of 1998), but had less to tenet within this was to attempt at least some do with the more recent $18m or the targeting innovativeprograms - notjustreplicate of the programs which are just now beginning previous work from overseas. The focus of to get off the ground.Responsibility for the total package will now reside with a new course has been on preventionmore primary and secondary perhaps than tertiary.Within Ministerial Advisory Committee which will thishavebeenfundedsomeUniversal have more formal representation from each state preventative programs which include mental and territory and, itis hoped, will be able to health promotion and education to both young ensurebettercoordinationof fundingand people, their carers, and the professionals who projects for Suicide Prevention between the deal with them. Commonwealth and the States. YSPAG, as a committed and representative group, was ever There are many programs targeted at Indicated mindful initsdeliberations of the possible prevention - that is at populations thought to legacy from the Strategy and repeatedly focused be at increased risk (indigenous young people, on the possible long term outcomes for young rural youth, or gay and lesbian young people people from investing such a large amount of are good examples).Further programs have money; how could we be sure that it was spent addressed Selective wisely? (or Targeted) prevention with young people who may be showing signs of earlyillness (homeless and marginalised The Evaluation Working Group (previously a youth, and/or thosewith previoussuicidal subcommittee of YSPAG) will continue to behaviours, provide a good example). A liaise with the 34 individual programs (for brief number of programs have been fundedfor descriptions please see http://AusEinet. young people with early or first episode illness flinders.edu.au), assisting the external (forinstancethoseidentifiedascasesof evaluatorsforeachprogramwiththeir depression). evaluations, and will report to the MAC about both the outputs from the Strategy and the Finally a smaller number of programs have outcomes gained.In addition, the Australian been funded to examine innovative approaches Institute for Family Studies is evaluating the incase managementorrehabilitationin whole NYSPS - as a strategy and in terms of thecommunity. If you read Maris et al. (1992), overall outcome (for preliminary information it becomes clear that there is a process which pleaseseehttp://aifs.org.au). These two leads up to the final behaviour of suicide;it processes should, between them, provide most doesn't just come out of the blue.We could of the answers to two major questions: "Did we call this a pathway or a 'trajectory'. Itis in Australia get it right?" and "Where do we go complex and different for each individual, but from here?" In the early days YSPAG was background, cultural, community, family or criticised for what appeared to be somewhat of a personal historical factors prepare the ground, a random process of funding projects.Nothing series of negative events over the course of time could be further from the truth.Admittedly in Funded under the National Mental Health Strategy by the Commonwealth Department of Health and Family Services 3 ISSN 1329-8720 March 1998 Page 2 Issue 3 - uo may escalate the person along the trajectory, gathering pace THIRD NATIONAL CONFERENCE ON in the context of an illness or (for example) a personal loss, CHILD AND ADOLESCENT MENTAL reducing the options for healthy change. At some point there HEALTH is a spark which ignites the process to a speed and final 23-25 July 1998 direction where no interventionislikelyto change the Sydney, NSW trajectory: Where we intervene as individual professionals in part depends on at what point we come across the trajectory; we do the best we can at that time.For the community, Theme: Families Towards 2000 taking an overall view of the issue, it is different; there are The Child and Adolescent Narrative What can they some points along the trajectory which are more likely (that tell us? This is the working theme for the 1998 Third National is the evidence would suggest this is the best place) to change Conference on Child and Adolescent Mental health being its direction. To a certain extent the earlier we can intervene, held in Sydney. The Child and Adolescent Narrative reflects the more likely we may be to change the trajectory. In the move towards collaborative partnerships, with the focus contrast, if we intervene too early, we may not have clear being onlisteningtothestoriesand concernsina evidence for just who is most at risk; our targeting may be compassionate collaborative manner. The Conference will be poor, and we may 'waste' effort and resources. As individuals offering a wide-ranging program, including the following we need to know what works best at any given point along themes: the trajectory so that we can do our best.As a community The family and its changing rolelooking towards 2000 we probably need to know more where to place the available and beyond resources; if you like, we need to know the 'best buy'. The Children and Adolescent issues National Youth Suicide Prevention Strategy can be expected Promotion, Prevention and Early Intervention to provide some of the Australian evidence clarifying what Collaborative partnership frameworks with other systems may be done at which point along the trajectory.As a Models of service delivery- present-future/clinical models community we can expect that it will also clarify a little Culture about the best buy or 'best combination of buys' to achieve Addressing the shifting paradigms reduction in the outrageous