Designing and scaling up integrated youth mental health care

Abstract

Mental ill‐health represents the main threat to the health, survival and future potential of young people around the world. There are indications that this is a rising tide of vulnerability and need for care, a trend that has been augmented by the COVID‐19 pandemic. It represents a global public health crisis, which not only demands a deep and sophisticated understanding of possible targets for prevention, but also urgent reform and investment in the provision of developmentally appropriate clinical care. Despite having the greatest level of need, and potential to benefit, adolescents and emerging adults have the worst access to timely and quality mental health care. How is this global crisis to be addressed? Since the start of the century, a range of co‐designed youth mental health strategies and innovations have emerged. These range from digital platforms, through to new models of primary care to new services for potentially severe mental illness, which must be locally adapted according to the availability of resources, workforce, cultural factors and health financing patterns. The fulcrum of this progress is the advent of broad‐spectrum, integrated primary youth mental health care services. They represent a blueprint and beach‐head for an overdue global system reform. While resources will vary across settings, the mental health needs of young people are largely universal, and underpin a set of fundamental principles and design features. These include establishing an accessible, “soft entry” youth primary care platform with digital support, where young people are valued and essential partners in the design, operation, management and evaluation of the service. Global progress achieved to date in implementing integrated youth mental health care has highlighted that these services are being accessed by young people with genuine and substantial mental health needs, that they are benefiting from them, and that both these young people and their families are highly satisfied with the services they receive. However, we are still at base camp and these primary care platforms need to be scaled up across the globe, complemented by prevention, digital platforms and, crucially, more specialized care for complex and persistent conditions, aligned to this transitional age range (from approximately 12 to 25 years). The rising tide of mental ill‐health in young people globally demands that this focus be elevated to a top priority in global health.

New evidence on technological acceptance model in preschool education: Linking project-based learning (PBL), mental health, and semi-immersive virtual reality with learning performance

“…Furthermore, in Denmark's educational institutes, students are directed to learn the course material in groups to reach a significant conclusion through discussion and appropriate learning ( 38 ). Although students' critical thinking abilities develop to an advanced level, they are also effectively working when they are instructed to learn and draw a conclusion based on any project provided for group discussion ( 39 ).…”

“…In comparison, if the students are not tolerating the opponent's lives when working on the project-based learning material in the group, then it would not be appropriate for them to develop their concepts effectively related to their course material and the effectiveness of the information sharing in the group. Furthermore, in Denmark's educational institutes, students are directed to learn the course material in groups to reach a significant conclusion through discussion and appropriate learning (38). Although students' critical thinking abilities develop to an advanced level, they are also effectively working when they are instructed to learn and draw a conclusion based on any project provided for group discussion (39).…”

Changing Landscape of Mental Health from Early Career Psychiatrists’ Perspective in Indonesia

“…The evidence is also compelling that young people, in particular, need to be the target population for early intervention since many mental disorders onset occurs in this period and are most affected by the pandemic. 20,30 A pragmatic trial by Anjara et al 31 showed that primary care staff could provide mental health care for common mental disorders with a comparable result with a specialist, given proper training and support. Another interesting trial in Indonesia by Arjadi et al, 32 who used internet intervention (a web-based therapy on the behavioral activation principle) to address depression in the community, also supports the task-sharing approach.…”

Readability of Commonly Used Quality of Life Outcome Measures for Youth Self-Report

“…Discrepant reports between these different informants not only reveal different perspectives and priorities [ 11 ] but can also convey information about the different contexts in which mental health difficulties are most manifested [ 12 ]. Finally, the inclusion of youth voices is a core principle of an ongoing transformative movement towards more person-centred and youth-friendly models of mental health care [ 13 , 14 ]. It is therefore of paramount importance to ensure that the voices of children and adolescents are centred in the measurement of mental health concerns and outcomes, enabling them to have appropriate understanding, involvement, and empowerment in their care [ 15 , 16 ].…”