Gender differences in adolescents attending a drug and alcohol withdrawal service.

Introduction And Aims: Gender differences have been reported in adult substance users, but little research has examined gender differences in adolescents presenting to treatment services. This study aimed to explore gender differences in adolescents presenting to a withdrawal service.

Design And Methods: All presentations to a withdrawal service between March 2000 and September 2004 were identified.

Towards a developmental framework of consumer and carer participation in child and adolescent mental health services.

Objective: This paper examines the concept of consumer participation in the context of developmental changes in parent/child relationships and associated differences in the utilization of child and adolescent mental health services.

Method: Existing definitions and characteristics of mental health service delivery for children and young people are examined to answer the question,"Who is the consumer in the context of clinical services for young clients and their parents, and does this change with the child or young person's developmental stage?".

Results: As children, young people and parents utilize services in this area of mental health, the roles of consumer and carer need redefinition to accommodate both young clients and parents as consumers, and parents also as carers.

Current delivery of infant mental health services: are infant mental health needs being met?

Objective: To identify services supporting the well-being of infants and their families in an area of South Brisbane, Australia, highlight problems of accessing these services and recommend strategies to make them more readily available.

Method: Semistructured interviews were conducted with staff from 18 service providers offering antenatal services, or programmes primarily focused on children under the age of 2 years and/or their families. The interview aimed to identify the precise nature of the services offered, problems encountered in providing those services, perceived gaps in services and potential strategies for improvement.

Multidisciplinary perspectives on core networking skills. A study of skills: and associated training needs, for professionals working in managed clinical networks.

Possessing a wide mix of non-clinical competences is important for professionals involved in managed clinical networks (MCNs). Skills that stand out are related to interpersonal issues, problem solving, decision-making, and managing change. Interprofessional and interorganizational collaboration is important in health care generally and is not confined to MCNs.

Social networks of people with dual diagnosis: the quantity and quality of relationships at different stages of substance use treatment.

This study compares the social networks, perceived levels of social support, and satisfaction with this support, for people with serious mental illnesses and comorbid problematic use of alcohol and other drugs who are at different stages of substance use recovery. Participants in the late stage of recovery were more likely to perceive greater social support from their non substance-using social contacts than participants in the early stage. This social support was more likely to be from professionals than other non-substance-using contacts in their networks.