The new no-cost dedicated youth mental health service in Parkville

Mental health in the state of Victoria has seen some recent scrutiny, especially with the 2021 Royal Commission investigation.

The Royal Commission found a range of shortcomings across the sector and made a series of recommendations aimed at improving the mental health sector in our fair state.

Among these, there was the recommendation that the future mental health and wellbeing system should have a specific youth mental health and wellbeing service stream for young people aged 12 to 25 and ensure that governance of mental health services in the northwest is simplified and streamlined.

Anyone studying a Master of Counselling in Australia or working in the mental health sector will understand the importance of this announcement for young people, however it’s also crucial knowledge for the general public, who may one day need a similar service for themselves or a loved one.

These recommendations have led to the announcement of a new, no-cost dedicated youth mental health service in Parkville. This article will discuss the establishment of this service and then explain why youth mental health and wellbeing is an important topic in Australia.

Labor Government investment

The Allan Labor Government has announced a new and dedicated public youth mental health service. 

The facility, called the Parkville Mental Health and Wellbeing Service, will service Melbourne's northwestern region. It will deliver youth mental health and wellbeing care at zero cost to the community and operate in partnership with Orygen, a leading organisation in youth mental health.

The service will leverage Orygen's groundbreaking and integrated clinical care. It will centre the voices and wishes of young Victorians with lived experience at the heart of the service to ensure it delivers the support young people need.

This focus on consumer participation is a leading method in mental health care, allowing people who use the service to be involved in the co-design and co-production of it.

The service will use the invaluable strength, lived experience and skills of young people who use the service by involving them in consultations, collaboration and decision-making processes to make sure the service is meeting the needs of the young people who will access it. 

This dedicated youth mental health and wellbeing service will continue delivering the innovative Orygen Specialist Program (OSP), which is currently delivered by the Royal Melbourne Hospital.

This program offers targeted primary and specialist mental health care for young people and community-based outreach and outpatient services to young people aged 12 to 25 with complex mental illnesses such as bipolar disorder, schizophrenia and other major mental health conditions. 

This new service supports the Royal Commission's groundbreaking vision for a health system that differentiates between infant, child and family mental health services. It is an aspect of the recommendations that youth mental health services that support young people should seamlessly transition through the various stages of their care.

Multidisciplinary teams of mental health clinicians will provide personalised, tailored services that deliver crucial assessment and crisis interventions, medication, psychological interventions, case management, family support, inpatient care, peer support, group therapy work, vocational interventions, intensive outreach, and educational assistance to young people in the northwest region of Melbourne.

With the capacity to continue supporting around 1000 young people every year, the service will comprise teams of various allied health workers, psychiatric nurses, psychiatrists and other specialist doctors who will transfer from their existing roles to ensure a smooth transition for patients and families. 

“We are transforming how mental health treatment is delivered in Victoria and this dedicated youth service will mean we can remain a national leader in the delivery of compassionate care and support for young people,” Minister for Mental Health, Ingrid Stitt said.

Executive director of Orygen Patrick McGorry said, “The young people of North-West Melbourne and their families will benefit enormously from this change, which has been hard won and which I expect will inspire and guide the wider youth mental health reform for the benefit of all Victorians.”

Why youth mental health is important

This service will provide a vital need to the community; 40 per cent of 16- to 24-year-olds have reported experiencing a mental health disorder between 2020 and 2022 – this is a 47 per cent surge in 15 years. As you can see, the need for targeted interventions for young people experiencing mental illness and serious disorders is vital. 

Suicide is the leading cause of death amongst young Australians, which is an alarming statistic. As our young people continue to take their own lives, this new service will hopefully address this statistic and reduce the rate of suicide in Melbourne's northwestern suburban region. 

Contributing factors to youth mental health

There are a range of factors that contribute to youth mental health issues. Social media usage is one behaviour that can be linked to youth mental health issues, contributing to factors such as body image and self-esteem issues, anxiety and depression. This is but one factor in a multifaceted issue, as social media use alone isn't the sole contributor to young people experiencing mental distress.

Another factor that can contribute is poverty; those in the bottom 20 per cent earning bracket in Australia are more prone to developing mental illness. 

Another factor is family violence, with the trauma of experiencing family violence contributing to mental health issues.

It is worth noting that a young person simply witnessing family violence is considered family violence and that poor mental health outcomes can be attributed to the trauma of this experience. Adverse childhood events, such as experiencing emotional, physical or sexual abuse. All of these factors can contribute to severe mental illness in young people.

The benefits of the service

For all of the above reasons, this new service will be vitally important to addressing youth mental health in the northwestern region of metropolitan Melbourne. This service is uniquely placed to serve the community in this region and will have a positive impact.

Furthermore, the focus on youth participation, co-design and consultation will ensure that the service is tailored to the needs of the young people it will service.

The new, no-cost youth mental health service in Parkville follows the recommendations of the Royal Commission into Mental Health in Victoria. It will be developed in consultation with the young people who will use the service.

As we've described above, there are a range of factors that contribute to mental illness in young people, and this service is well-positioned to provide essential support and clinical treatment.