Queensland Centre for Mental Health Research

Want to learn more about the work we do at QCMHR? The latest edition of our quarterly newsletter is hot off the press 👉 https://bit.ly/3ZOfX1R

Wishing you a joyful holiday season from all of us at QCMHR! 🌟 Our office will reopen on Monday 6th January at 8:00 am. If you would like to get in contact, please visit our website for more info - qcmhr.org

🏆 We are incredibly proud to share that Professor John McGrath has been honoured with this year's Lifetime Achievement Award by the Queensland Mental Health Commission. John is an integral part of QCMHR and has helped shape it into the organisation that it is today. UQ Queensland Brain Institute Aarhus University

Rural suicide rates are greater than the national average and increase with remoteness. Despite years of investigation and policy, there haven't been any significant improvements. This systematic review, published this week in The Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health, identifies strengths within rural communities that could be harnessed to improve mental health: https://lnkd.in/gBMrJ-GS Annika Luebbe, Zoe Rutherford Sandra Diminic, Hannah R. Mikesh Patel, Harvey Whiteford, Queensland Centre for Mental Health Research The University of Queensland

Thrilled to share that my first PhD study has been published in ANZJPH!

Congratulations to Professor John McGrath who is one of 39 #UQ researchers to receive a Clarivate Highly Cited Research Award for 2024. 🎉 This award recognises and celebrates researchers who have published a significant number of papers in the top 1% most cited in their field and year of publication. See the full list of award winners: https://bit.ly/3CRUYSa #UQ #QBI #research #award #psychiatry

70% of Australians with depressive disorders not getting adequate treatment Researchers have found 70 per cent of Australians diagnosed with major depressive disorder are not receiving even the minimal treatment necessary. A University of Queensland-led team analysed data for 204 countries and territories, to assess global access to adequate mental health care. Dr Damian Santomauro from UQ’s School of Public Health and the Queensland Centre for Mental Health Research said the aim was to understand how many people with depressive disorders worldwide were receiving adequate care. “In 2021, 30 per cent of Australians with a major depressive disorder received minimally adequate treatment,” Dr Santomauro said. “High-income regions showed the highest rates of adequate mental health treatment, but still quite low at 27 percent and only 7 countries had rates that exceeded 30 per cent.” Minimally adequate treatment for major depressive disorders is defined as at least one month of medication in addition to 4 visits to a doctor or 8 sessions with a professional. In 90 countries, adequate treatment was below 5 per cent with the lowest rates in sub-Saharan Africa at only 2 per cent. “Globally, only 9 per cent of people with major depressive illnesses received the minimal treatment necessary,” Dr Santomauro said. “There was a small gender discrepancy with females (10.2 per cent) having higher rates than males (7.2 percent).” Psychiatrist and School of Public Health researcher Professor Harvey Whiteford said many people with depression need more than minimally adequate treatment. “Effective treatments are available and with the right treatment, people can fully recover,” Professor Whiteford said. “Without treatment the suffering and impairment from the depression can be prolonged and negatively affect relationships, work and education. “In mental health funding and evaluation, we need to focus on the quality and duration of treatment, as well as measuring access to care.” Dr Santomauro said the findings support the World Health Organization's Comprehensive Mental Health Action Plan 2013–2030, which aims to increase mental health service coverage by at least 50 per cent by 2030. “Highlighting locations and demographic groups who have the lowest treatment rates can guide prioritising areas for intervention and resource allocation,” Dr Santomauro said. The data provides a baseline for tracking progress to improve treatment for major depressive disorders.” The study involved researchers from the University of Washington, the World Health Organization and Harvard University. The research was published in The Lancet Psychiatry. See the article here: https://lnkd.in/gZpC7GGu #publichealth #mentalhealth #depression #treatment #negativeaffects #work #education #family #improvement

Queensland Centre for Mental Health Research (QCMHR), located at in Wacol, are delighted to announce that recruitment for a new Director at the Queensland Centre for Mental Health Research is now live. About the role  This role will strategically lead and manage the Queensland Centre for Mental Health Research (QCMHR). QCMHR is a statewide multi-disciplinary academic partnership hosted within West Moreton Health (WMH) with a vision to reduce the impact of mental illness in our communities. Our research program spans neuroscience, clinical and forensic mental health, population mental health, and mental health service evaluation. Our multidisciplinary teams are located across multiple Hospital and Health Services (HHSs) and various academic partnership sites. This is a strategic leadership role and together with the executive team at QCMHR, this role will provide authoritative advice on delivering translatable research outcomes to influence mental health service delivery and policy at state and national levels. The role is suitable for applicants from a variety of professional backgrounds including: Medical Officers, Nurses & Health Practitioners (including PhD qualified researchers from a relevant mental health discipline) For more information, including role descriptions and how to apply, click on the following link: https://lnkd.in/gVveEnQj #publichealth #director #opportunity #mentalhealth #research #medicalofficers #leadership #nurses #policies #healthpractitioners

Researchers have found 70 per cent of Australians diagnosed with major depressive disorder are not receiving even the minimal treatment necessary. The team of researchers from UQ and the Queensland Centre for Mental Health Research analysed data for 204 countries & territories. Read: https://bit.ly/3OkvYFL #UQ #QBI #brain #research #mentalhealth

Had the opportunity today to share my work in global adolescent health at the Centre for Research Excellence in Global Adolescent Health Emerging Leaders Network Research Showcase Centre for Adolescent Health I discussed the role of socio-environmental factors in adolescent mental health based on our work in National Mental Health Surveys (NAMHS) Queensland Centre for Mental Health Research in Kenya 🇰🇪, Indonesia 🇮🇩 & Vietnam 🇻🇳, as well as the Global Child and Adolescent Mental Health Study in the Philippines 🇵🇭 Turun yliopisto - University of Turku. Cant wait to share our findings once our publication is out! #mentalhealth #parenting #communities #socialsupport #threatsofwar #threatsofclimatechange