Australian Mental Health Care Research Articles

Mobilizing landscapes of practice to address grand challenges

Grand challenges require coordinated and integrated responses that draw on different occupational communities’ competencies that might otherwise remain in isolation. We theorize how grand challenges can be tackled by mobilizing landscapes of practice – a totality of local communities that constitute a ‘living knowledge area’ within a given domain. The landscapes of practices concept helps to understand the deployment of participatory architectures, which in the current literature is considered essential for addressing grand challenges. To this end, landscapes of practice emphasize the mutual accountability between networks and communities across informal and institutional settings and the need to learn about the landscapes of practice rather than focusing only on developing local competencies. Thus, landscapes of practice mobilization is complex and requires collective practical judgment while facing the arising socio-political tensions. Drawing on a study focused on Australian mental health care, we propose four pillars enabling the mobilization of landscapes of practice, and constituting general guiding principles – determining and legitimizing the landscapes of practice’s purpose, deploying landscapes of practice-based governance structures, motivating and connecting membership across the landscapes of practice, and demonstrating the value of the mobilized landscapes of practice. Thereby, we propose a framework of mobilizing landscapes of practice that serves as a reference for network leaders and managerial practice while advancing the academic debates on grand challenges and situated learning.

White and non-White Australian mental health care practitioners’ desirable responding, cultural competence, and racial/ethnic attitudes

BackgroundRacial, ethnic, religious, and cultural diversity in Australia is rapidly increasing. Although Indigenous Australians account for only approximately 3.5% of the country’s population, over 50% of Australians were born overseas or have at least one migrant parent. Migration accounts for over 60% of Australia’s population growth, with migration from Asia, Sub-Saharan African and the Americas increasing by 500% in the last decade. Little is known about Australian mental health care practitioners’ attitudes toward this diversity and their level of cultural competence.AimGiven the relationship between practitioner cultural competence and the mental health outcomes of non-White clients, this study aimed to identify factors that influence non-White and White practitioners’ cultural competence.MethodsAn online questionnaire was completed by 139 Australian mental health practitioners. The measures included: the Balanced Inventory of Desirable Responding (BIDR); the Multicultural Counselling Inventory (MCI); and the Color-blind Racial Attitudes Scale (CoBRAS). Descriptive statistics were used to summarise participants’ demographic characteristics. One-way ANOVA and Kruskal–Wallis tests were conducted to identify between-group differences (non-White compared to White practitioners) in cultural competence and racial and ethnic blindness. Correlation analyses were conducted to determine the association between participants’ gender or age and cultural competence. Hierarchical multiple regression analysis was conducted to predict cultural competence.ResultsThe study demonstrates that non-White mental health practitioners are more culturally aware and have better multicultural counselling relationships with non-White people than their White counterparts. Higher MCI total scores (measuring cultural competence) were associated with older age, greater attendance of cultural competence-related trainings and increased awareness of general and pervasive racial and/or ethnic discrimination. Practitioners with higher MCI total scores were also likely to think more highly of themselves (e.g., have higher self-deceptive positive enhancement scores on the BIDR) than those with lower MCI total scores.ConclusionThe findings highlight that the current one-size-fits-all and skills-development approach to cultural competence training ignores the significant role that practitioner diversity and differences play. The recommendations from this study can inform clinical educators and supervisors about the importance of continuing professional development relevant to practitioners’ age, racial/ethnic background and practitioner engagement with prior cultural competence training.

Clinical update on psychiatric outcome measurement: what is the purpose, what is known and what should be done about it?

To provide a clinical update on the purposes, evidence-base and recommendations for both clinician and patient-rated outcome measures in psychiatric practice. Private and public sector funders have implemented outcome measurement systems in Australian mental healthcare, in order to improve cost-effectiveness. It is important to consider the ultimate aims of outcome measurement from various perspectives in evaluating the evidence-base, as there are a number of measurement dimensions to address. For individual clinicians, the purpose may be to guide treatment-planning, as well as to assess treatment and clinician efficacy. For patients, the purpose is to assess outcomes in terms of their goals for recovery, as well as to evaluate their satisfaction with the care provided, and their healthcare providers. The other orthogonal dimensions of measurement comprise, the proximal to illness measures of symptomatic severity, and the distal measures of disability, which apply to both clinician and patient outcomes. In turn, these measures may be used by healthcare funders in public or private sectors as proxy measures of the cost-effectiveness of psychiatric care provided. Clinical registries linked to service-mapping would provide better data for patients, providers and funders to assess the availability and effectiveness of psychiatric care in Australia.

Is there a missing-middle in Australian mental health care?

The term 'missing-middle' has been prominent in discourse relating to provision of mental health care in Australia, particularly by proponents of non-governmental youth mental health services such as headspace and related adult services. We investigate whether there is an empirical basis for use of the 'missing-middle' term, founded on qualitative and quantitative research. Despite the widespread use of the term 'missing-middle' for advocacy in Australia, there is a lack of research characterising the epidemiological characteristics of the group. The validity of advocacy predicated on the basis of the 'missing-middle' care-gap should be reconsidered. Research, such as systematic service mapping and health needs assessment, is a necessary foundation for evidence-based mental healthcare policy, planning and implementation. Without such research, vital government funds may be deployed to 'missing-middle' programmes that may not improve Australian public health outcomes.

The voice of mental health practice in Australia: a mixed‐method cross‐sectional study of gaps and areas of need

ObjectivesTo examine the perceptions of health professionals regarding the gaps in mental health service provision in Australia and their need for assistance in managing patients with mental illness. MethodA total of 570 health professionals participated in an anonymous online survey in January 2018 that assessed: i) health professionals’ current levels of need for assistance in the management of patients with mental health conditions; and ii) perceived gaps in the mental health care system, and how these can be addressed. Data were analysed using a mixed‐methods approach. ResultsOf those surveyed, 71.2% of health professionals and 77.3% of general practitioners reported that they required assistance in managing their patients with at least one stage of care for at least one type of mental disorder. Qualitative analyses revealed eight major themes in health professionals’ perceptions of gaps in mental health service provision, including affordability and accessibility, the problems with crisis‐driven care and the ‘missing middle’. ConclusionOverall, the results of this study provide a concerning insight into the substantial gaps in mental health care within the Australian system. Implications for public healthThe results of this study add weight to ongoing calls for reform of and increased investment in the Australian mental health care system.

Australian mental health care practitioners\u2019 construing of non-White and White people: implications for cultural competence and therapeutic alliance

BackgroundThe development of cultural competence is central to the therapeutic alliance with clients from diverse backgrounds. Given that the majority of Australia’s population growth is due to migration, mental health practitioner construing of non-White and White people has a significant role and impact on client engagement.MethodTo examine the impact of mental health practitioner construing on their strategies for cultural competence and the therapeutic alliance, 20 White and non-White mental health practitioners and trainees providing mental health services were purposively sampled and interviewed face-to-face or via videoconferencing. Data was analysed thematically and the impact of construing on practitioner cultural competence and the therapeutic alliance were interpreted using Personal Construct Psychology.ResultsPractitioners demonstrated cultural competence in their acknowledgement of the impact of negative construing of ethnic, cultural, religious, social, racial and linguistic diversity on client wellbeing. Practitioners sought to address these negative impacts on clients by drawing on the client-practitioner relationship to improve the therapeutic alliance.ConclusionsThe results reinforce the need for mental health care workers to develop cultural competence with a focus on developing awareness of the impact of frameworks of Whiteness on the experiences of non-White people. This is central to the development of a therapeutic alliance where clients feel understood and assured that their mental health concerns will not be constructed (and treated) through a framework that constrains both White and non-White people’s opportunities for improved mental health and wellbeing.

Australian mental health care practitioners' practices and attitudes for encouraging smoking cessation and tobacco harm reduction in smokers with severe mental illness.

Reducing the burden of physical illness among people living with severe mental illnesses (SMI) is a key priority. Smoking is strongly associated with SMIs resulting in excessive smoking related morbidity and mortality in smokers with SMI. Smoking cessation advice and assistance from mental health practitioners would assist with reducing smoking and smoking-related harms in this group. This study examined the attitudes and practices of Australian mental health practitioners towards smoking cessation and tobacco harm reduction for smokers with SMI, including adherence to the 5As (ask, assess, advise, assist and arrange follow up) of smoking cessation. We surveyed 267 Australian mental health practitioners using a cross-sectional, online survey. Most practitioners (77.5%) asked their clients about smoking and provided health education (66.7%) but fewer provided direct assistance (31.1-39.7%). Most believed that tobacco harm reduction strategies are effective for reducing smoking related risks (88.4%) and that abstinence from all nicotine should not be the only goal discussed with smokers with SMI (77.9%). Many respondents were unsure about the safety (56.9%) and efficacy (39.3%) of e-cigarettes. Practitioners trained in smoking cessation were more likely (OR: 2.9, CI: 1.5-5.9) to help their clients to stop smoking. Community mental health practitioners (OR: 0.3, CI: 0.1-0.9) and practitioners who were current smokers (OR: 0.3, CI: 0.1-0.9) were less likely to adhere to the 5As of smoking cessation intervention. The results of this study emphasize the importance and need for providing smoking cessation training to mental health practitioners especially community mental health practitioners.

The need for a Quality in Australian Mental Health Care study.

The need for a Quality in Australian Mental Health Care study.

Cost-utility analysis of different treatments for post-traumatic stress disorder in sexually abused children.

BackgroundPost-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is diagnosed in 20% to 53% of sexually abused children and adolescents. Living with PTSD is associated with a loss of health-related quality of life. Based on the best available evidence, the NICE Guideline for PTSD in children and adolescents recommends cognitive behavioural therapy (TF-CBT) over non-directive counselling as a more efficacious treatment.MethodsA modelled economic evaluation conducted from the Australian mental health care system perspective estimates incremental costs and Quality Adjusted Life Years (QALYs) of TF-CBT, TF-CBT combined with selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI), and non-directive counselling. The "no treatment" alternative is included as a comparator. The first part of the model consists of a decision tree corresponding to 12 month follow-up outcomes observed in clinical trials. The second part consists of a 30 year Markov model representing the slow process of recovery in non-respondents and the untreated population yielding estimates of long-term quality-adjusted survival and costs. Data from the 2007 Australian Mental Health Survey was used to populate the decision analytic model.ResultsIn the base-case and sensitivity analyses, incremental cost-effectiveness ratios (ICERs) for all three active treatment alternatives remained less than A$7,000 per QALY gained. The base-case results indicated that non-directive counselling is dominated by TF-CBT and TF-CBT + SSRI, and that efficiency gain can be achieved by allocating more resources toward these therapies. However, this result was sensitive to variation in the clinical effectiveness parameters with non-directive counselling dominating TF-CBT and TF-CBT + SSRI under certain assumptions. The base-case results also suggest that TF-CBT + SSRI is more cost-effective than TF-CBT.ConclusionEven after accounting for uncertainty in parameter estimates, the results of the modelled economic evaluation demonstrated that all psychotherapy treatments for PTSD in sexually abused children have a favourable ICER relative to no treatment. The results also highlighted the loss of quality of life in children who do not receive any psychotherapy. Results of the base-case analysis suggest that TF-CBT + SSRI is more cost-effective than TF-CBT alone, however, considering the uncertainty associated with prescribing SSRIs to children and adolescents, clinicians and parents may exercise some caution in choosing this treatment alternative.

Facilitating Early Intervention: Experiences of Young People and Implications for the Shaping of Headspace Services

The aim of this study was to gain an understanding of the factors that facilitate entry of young people into the Australian mental health care system with a view to developing headspace service delivery in youth-friendly directions. Fifteen semi-structured interviews were conducted with experienced mental health help-seekers in early adulthood. Social factors involving families, friends and professionals dominated discussions about the initiation and voluntary continuation of mental health care. A range of social interactions combine to facilitate the entry of young people into care. The actions of families and friends are very important for the initiation of care while the clinicians' modes of communicating with young people are critical in making the experience of care comfortable and worth the perseverance. If genuine service delivery reform is to be achieved, taking account of the views of young people who have overcome the well-documented obstacles to care is invaluable for the ongoing development of youth-friendly services such as those offered by headspace.

Review of triage reform: the case for national consensus on a single triage scale for clients with a mental illness in Australian emergency departments

The aim of this paper is to examine the use of mental health triage scales in Australian emergency departments (EDs) and to explore the use of the Australasian Triage Scale (ATS) with existing mental health triage scales. Since the introduction of mainstreaming and deinstitutionalisation in Australian mental health care, the number of clients presenting to Australian EDs has been increasing. It has become apparent that the lack of mental health descriptors in existing triage scales diminishes the ability of ED triage staff to accurately assess clients with a mental illness. In response to this, specialised mental health triage scales have been developed and introduced into practice. Concurrently, mental health descriptors have been incorporated into the ATS used across Australian EDs. A review of English language literature was conducted. The data bases Proquest, Synergy and CINAHL were searched using the key words 'emergency department', 'triage', 'mental health' and again using the term 'emergency mental health triage'. There is a paucity of literature surrounding the use of mental health triage scales in Australian EDs; 18 articles were found to be directly relevant to the subject matter. Currently clients with a mental illness presenting to the ED may be triaged against one of four mental health triage scales. Research has shown that the mental health descriptors in the ATS are not as reliable as a specialised mental health triage scale. This has implications for clinical practice on two levels. First, it affects the initial triage assessment in the ED and the ability for mental health clinicians to respond in a timely manner and this will have an impact on clinical outcomes. Second, the use of the mental health triage criteria in the ATS may misrepresent ED workloads and affect data pertaining to ED performance.

Access to Australian mental health care by people from non-English-speaking backgrounds.

This study aimed to examine access to mental health care for people from non-English-speaking backgrounds relative to that of people from English-speaking backgrounds, in the context of the mental health status of both groups; and to consider whether, if they perceive that they have needs for care, these needs are met. The study used data from the population-based Australian National Survey of Mental Health and Wellbeing, conducted in 1997. People from non-English-speaking backgrounds and English-speaking backgrounds were equally likely to experience anxiety disorders and affective disorders, but the former were less likely to experience substance-use disorders and any mental disorder. When those with each disorder type were considered alone, people from non-English-speaking backgrounds and English-speaking backgrounds were equally likely to use services for mental health problems. When those with perceived needs for care were considered in isolation, there was no difference between birthplace groups in terms of their likelihood of reporting that their needs were fully met. The study had several limitations (i.e. lack of detail on specific ethnic groups and exclusion of potential respondents who could not speak English), which mean that these findings should be interpreted with caution. There is a need to build on this population-based work, by oversampling people from particular non-English speaking communities and ensuring that those who do not speak English are included in population samples. Such work will further clarify the relative ability of people from non-English-speaking backgrounds to access services, and the extent to which their needs are met.