Orygen

Imagine a future where every young person with mental ill-health gets well, and stays well. At Orygen we're creating that future right now, and you can too – by choosing an employer where 96% of our staff believe in our purpose. Join us and make a difference in a young persons life. https://lnkd.in/g8aRruPj

This holiday season alone, over 3000 families are preparing to sit around a table where, for the first time, there is an empty seat. As Australia’s only research organisation focused on preventing youth suicide, community support is essential to empower Orygen's vital, life-saving research and help prevent young people ever reaching crisis point. If you're in a position to contribute a tax-deductible donation, please visit: https://bit.ly/3Xj6CxN

As 2024 draws to a close, we wish you a safe, happy end to the year and a fulfilling 2025. We appreciate that this time of year can be difficult. If you are in need of support, please reach out to someone you trust. You can also contact the crisis lines, Lifeline Australia on 13 11 14, Kids Helpline on 1800 55 1800 or 13YARN on 13 92 76 for free and confidential support, available 24/7. Orygen’s Parkville site will be closed from 1pm Tuesday, 24 December and will reopen at 9am Thursday, 2 January 2025. Orygen Recovery and Orygen Specialist Program services will continue to operate during the end-of-year period.

We were thrilled to be part of the recent Being Global Gathering, where youth mental health innovators from around the world came together for four days of networking, collaboration and knowledge sharing. The Being Initiative supports young people’s mental health by funding research, innovation, and ecosystem-building in 12 priority low- and middle-income nations, and Orygen Global is driving Being’s Learning and Support Network, which focuses on providing support and training to youth mental health advocates from those nations. To read on and watch the full video with our own Nataya Branjerdporn, visit: https://bit.ly/3OZzMwC Centre Mohammed VI de la Recherche et de l'Innovation Grand Challenges Canada Fondation Botnar NIHR (National Institute for Health and Care Research) Science for Africa Foundation United for Global Mental Health

During the festive season, managing mental health can be especially difficult for young people. The team at MOST, our digital mental health service, has developed resources to help young people treat themselves with care over the holidays. More on self-care from MOST: https://bit.ly/3ZCr0L1

Building and upskilling the workforce, across all domains of youth mental health, is key to improving wellbeing outcomes for young people. That's why we're excited that Orygen's Professional Certificate in Youth Psychiatry will become the first year of formal education for the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists (RANZCP)'s new, two-year Certificate of Advanced Training in Youth Psychiatry. Importantly, this recognition means that all course graduates who wish to enrol in further study through RANZCP will receive advanced standing for this first year. Applications are now open to study our Professional Certificate in 2025. For more details and to apply, visit: https://bit.ly/3SrOHRB

Congratulations to Orygen’s Head of Suicide Prevention, Professor Jo Robinson AM, who has been elected president of the International Association for Suicide Prevention (IASP). Dedicated to preventing suicide, the IASP provides a forum for academics, mental health professionals, crisis workers, volunteers, and those with lived experience across 79 countries. "With suicide rates rising in many parts of the world, our work is more important than ever," said Prof. Robinson. "I'm really looking forward to working with the new board, the central office team and all the membership to achieve our vision of a compassionate world without suicide." Learn more: https://bit.ly/49GK1za

While we often associate loneliness with older people, it’s young people who report the highest rates of loneliness in Australia – and these rates have risen steadily over the last 15 years. The Parliament of NSW has launched an inquiry into the prevalence, causes and impacts of loneliness in NSW, and Orygen welcomed the opportunity to make a submission focused on the experiences – and mental health impacts – of loneliness for young people. Orygen's Dr Kate Filia yesterday gave evidence to the Standing Committee on Social Issues regarding the inquiry, highlighting the psychological and physiological impacts of loneliness on young people and offering policy solutions to address this growing issue. Among these recommendations is the development of targeted policy efforts promoting social connection, which helps foster community and belonging for young people. Read Orygen's submission to the inquiry below, and explore our recent 'Young People and Loneliness' report: https://bit.ly/3CNRdgM

One in 10 young Australians experience both mental ill-health and physical conditions or chronic pain. Integrated mental and physical health care is widely recognised as gold standard. However, these health needs are often treated in isolation. To help address this, Orygen convened a Policy Lab workshop with a group of experts – including young people with lived experience, academics, mental health clinicians, GPs and government representatives – to develop recommendations aimed at improving care. They include better communication and coordination between health care providers, bolstering the peer workforce to include more young people with experience of both chronic physical conditions and mental ill-health, and funding for the development of a cross-discipline youth health credential focused on this area. More details and full report: https://bit.ly/3Dcgsth

As the only Australian research organisation focused on preventing youth suicide, Orygen is committed to developing and delivering innovative, effective solutions to improve mental health outcomes for young people. These solutions will save lives. But there is so much more work we need to do. That's why, as we set our sights on the year ahead, we're asking the community to consider giving a tax-deductible donation to enable this critical research. Every dollar counts. If you're in a position to donate, please visit: https://bit.ly/3Xj6CxN