Youth Mental Health and Wellbeing

Project Duration

December 2014-September 2017

Funder

Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC)

Funding

£30,480

Aims

The onset of mental health problems typically lies in youth at the critical age between 12 and 25 years. Mental illness in young people is associated with significant physical, psychological, social and developmental consequences including obesity, substance use, delinquency, low educational achievements and social disability. This highlights the importance of early intervention and prevention in this age group and the development of targeted services for youth focusing on improving prognosis through continuity of care, promoting resilience and supporting healthy developmental pathways.However, the current fragmentation of mental health services in the UK and worldwide between those focused on children and adolescents (up to age of 18) and those for adults (18-65 years) as well as the lack of an integrated pathway from child to adult healthcare poses great risk to the care of young people at the most vulnerable stage of their lives. 

Ongoing concerns about the quality of mental health care offered to young people worldwide have highlighted the need for transformation of systems of care and the redesign of mental health services so that they are developmentally appropriate and responsive to the needs of youth in the age group of 12-25 years.

Restructuring services is not the only challenge to young people with mental health problems. Establishing a supportive peer group is one of the most important developmental tasks of youth and yet research has highlighted the fact that young people with mental health problems may face significant levels of stigma from within their peer group. Even when young people have not personally experienced stigma they frequently fear stigma to such an extent that they are unwilling to disclose their diagnosis. Other research findings indicate that young people with high levels of stigma towards mental health problems may not seek help for themselves even when they believe that they need it. Thus, responding to the mental health needs of young people means looking at services provision but also at young people's wider social lives and the potential need for interventions to tackle stigma.

The proposed seminar is a response to a global youth mental health movement of recognising the emerging health needs of young people and promoting youth mental health, resilience and wellbeing through the development of innovative, youth-oriented mental health services. The proposed seminar was developed by collaborators from the UK and Ireland two countries which have led this transformational change in Europe. The seminar will bring together national and international leading experts in youth mental health to:

1. Identify the "big questions" around youth mental health and highlight the challenges in systems change related to the development of youth friendly mental health services
2. Highlight exemplars of new and ongoing research and best practice in the field of youth mental health
3. Generate consensus on what the gold-standard of a "youth mental health model" should consist of
4. Promote public and professional interest around youth mental health issues and the importance of developing targeted, evidence-based mental health services for young people
5. Raise awareness of the importance of stigma reduction as a way to maximise service use, treatment adherence and positive peer relationships

Methods

We will run nine (one day) seminars in total in the next three years (three seminars per year). Seminars will focus on three inter-related themes which reflect significant clinical, research and public health priorities in the UK, Ireland and globally: 

• Youth mental health and stigma
• e-health and new technologies for youth mental health and wellbeing
• The development of youth friendly mental health services

Seminars will include talks by invited speakers and poster presentations by PhD students and early career researchers as well as round table discussion groups which would provide the forum for dialogue, debate and decision-making. 

The seminars will be held in different locations in the UK and Ireland to reflect the international nature of our work and enable diversity in participation.

Stage of Development

First seminar: 12 December 2014
Venue: Jubilee Campus, University of Nottingham
Theme: Stigma and Youth Mental Health
Title of seminar: Stigma and prejudice: Advances in theory and research

Speakers: 
Dr Kathy Greenwood, University of Sussex
Dr Keon West, Goldsmiths University of London
Sarah Brennan, Chief Executive, YoungMinds
Dr Helen Stain, University of Durham and Kurt Atkins from Youth Speak advisory group
Emily Francis, New Youth Advisory Group

Download the programme

View the press release

Second seminar: 22 May 2015
Location: Brighton
Theme: e-health and new technologies for youth mental health and wellbeing

Speakers:
Professor Chris Glazebrook, NIHR MindTech Healthcare Co-operative, University of Nottingham
Dr Michelle Blanchard, Young and Well Co-operative Research Centre, Australia
Rebecca Cotton, NHS Confederation

Download the programme

ESCR Youth Mental Health and Wellbeing Team - 22 May 2015

Third seminar: 28 August 2015
Location: Ardmore House, University College Dublin 
Theme: The development of youth friendly mental health services
Title: Mapping out existing and new service models and systems of care for youth

Speakers: 
Professor Pat McGorry, University of Melbourne
Dr Tony Bates, Headstrong, Ireland
Paul Longmore, Headstrong, The National Centre for Youth Mental Health, Ireland
Dr Aileen O’Reilly, Headstrong, The National Centre for Youth Mental Health, Ireland
Dr Dorothy Leahy, University of Limerick, Ireland
Dr Lesley O’Hara, Lucena Clinic Services, Ireland

Download the programme

Fourth seminar: 4 December 2015
Location: School of Psychology, NUI, Galway, Ireland
Title: Youth Mental Health & Self-stigma: Theory, Research & Practice

Speakers:
Dr Tally Moses, University of Wisconsin-Madison
Dr Claire Henderson, Kings College London
Dr Eilis Hennessy, University College Dublin
Dr Lynn McKeague, University of Winchester
Dr Clare Thynne, Health Service Executive

Fifth seminar: 6 May 2016
Location: Institute of Mental Health, Jubilee Campus, University of Nottingham, NG7 2TA
Title: Integrating technology into youth mental health practice

Speakers:
Dr Jen Martin, NIHR MindTech Healthcare Co-operative
Jimmy Endicott, Leicestershire Partnership NHS Trust
Dr Paul Patterson, Birmingham and Solihull Mental Health Foundation Trust
Aaron Sefi, Kooth

Download the seminar flyer

Early career researchers and PhD students are invited to submit abstracts for poster presentations. Travel bursaries available. Download the poster.