A mental health care model specifically for young people
According to the most recent studies on mental health in young people, one in four people between the ages of 14 and 24 experience a mental health disorder for at least one year of their lives .
This age range represents a peak in the onset of mental health problems and constitutes a crucial stage for personal development. Young people between the ages of 15 and 24 are at a time of change marked by vocational exploration and social development (friendship and romantic relationships), and generally by achieving independence from their families of origin. Therefore, a mental disorder during this period can result in a failure to achieve these life goals.
Research on the subject shows that mental health problems are responsible for between 65 and 70% of all illnesses in this age group and that although young people mostly recover from the symptoms, there is a negative impact on their vocational development and economic level.
Furthermore, it appears that young people have particular difficulties when it comes to connecting with health services, both in terms of access and remaining in them , making it difficult for them to access the specialized treatment needed in the case of a mental disorder.
For all these reasons, in recent years the need has become evident to implement specialized devices for young people between 15 and 24 years old, which are attractive and accessible and which facilitate access and adherence to them.
A pioneering model of comprehensive care for young people
Orygen is a mental health center in Australia considered an international pioneer in prevention and early intervention for young people who have had a psychotic episode.
Their model has aimed to develop a service focused on young people, with the following characteristics:
- Youth participation at all levels to create youth-friendly spaces and free from stigma.
- A holistic, preventive and optimistic approach, guided by the principles of risk/benefit and shared decision-making .
- Main objectives focused on early intervention, social inclusion and vocational development.
- Services based on the sociodemographic characteristics of young people in the 21st century.
- Elimination of discontinuities in healthcare during the most critical period of need.
- Coordination with child and adult services.
The center was founded and is run by psychiatrist Patrick McGorry, one of the most important and pioneering researchers in the field of early psychosis episodes.
In 1992 he launched the Early Psychosis Prevention and Intervention Centre (EPPIC) program in Melbourne to treat young people suffering from a first episode of psychosis.
Today, Orygen has established clinics across Australia, addressing a wide range of mental health issues in young people aged 14 to 24, with the following primary objectives:
1. Early detection of the first psychotic episodes.
2. Comprehensive intervention for first psychotic episodes.
3. To mitigate and delay the chronicity of severe mental disorder.
4. Minimize the psychosocial and biological impact of mental disorders
5. Recover the life project and focus on the important goals for the young person.
Each clinic has a multidisciplinary team from different disciplines: nursing, social education, clinical psychology, psychiatry, occupational therapy, and social work, who act as therapists and develop their professional work from the perspective of the case manager : a professional who is responsible for establishing a close relationship with the young person, exploring their needs and difficulties, and accompanying them during the therapeutic process, facilitating their connection to the city's network of resources and focusing on the recovery of their life goals .
The approach is individual, group and family-based, and they work very closely with the network of resources in each city, through frequent coordination.
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