Mental health planning for children and youth: is it developmentally appropriate?

Objectives: We aim to provide an overview of current issues facing child and adolescent mental health services and the provision of developmentally informed and appropriate care.

Method: We review developmental models of mental disorder and the impact on service design.

Results: Developmental issues can shape service design.

Developing the 'youth model' in mental health services.

Objective: The aim of this paper was to review the basis of the 'youth model' and new 'headspace' service delivery structures, proposed as a solution to the problem of high rates of psychiatric disorder in the youth period of life. Several issues were examined through asking key questions and answering these from the perspective of two academically oriented child and adolescent psychiatrists.

Conclusions: As half of all mental disorders appear during childhood and early adolescence, more research into the origin and emergence of these problems should focus on this early period of life.

Reviewing the learning organisation model in a child and adolescent mental health service.

From 1995 onwards, a child and adolescent mental health service (CAMHS) applied Senge's learning organisation model. This review compared service performance with that of peer services 5 years later and explored whether any differences were associated with the application of this model. The comparison methodology used quantitative analysis of external data from the Department of Human Services, together with qualitative analysis of material including interviews with CAMHS directors and service managers.