A review of Aboriginal suicide prevention programs were conducted to highlight promising projects... more A review of Aboriginal suicide prevention programs were conducted to highlight promising projects and strategies. A content analysis of gray literature was conducted to identify interventions reported to have an impact in reducing suicidal rates and behaviors. Most programs targeted the whole community and were delivered through workshops, cultural activities, or creative outlets. Curriculums included suicide risk and protective factors, warning signs, and mental health. Many programs were poorly documented and evaluations did not include suicidal outcomes. Most evaluations considered process variables. Results from available outcome evaluations suggest that employing a whole of community approach and focusing on connectedness, belongingness and cultural heritage may be of benefit. Despite the challenges, there is a clear need to evaluate outcomes if prevention is to be progressed.
Background: This mixed-methods study was designed to explore young Australian men’s attitudes and... more Background: This mixed-methods study was designed to explore young Australian men’s attitudes and behaviour in
relation to mental health and technology use to inform the development of online mental health services for young men.
Methods: National online survey of 486 males (aged 16 to 24) and 17 focus groups involving 118 males (aged 16 to 24).
Results: Young men are heavy users of technology, particularly when it comes to entertainment and connecting with
friends, but they are also using technology for finding information and support. The focus group data suggested that
young men would be less likely to seek professional help for themselves, citing a preference for self-help and
action-oriented strategies instead. Most survey participants reported that they have sought help for a problem online and
were satisfied with the help they received. Focus group participants identified potential strategies for how technology
could be used to overcome the barriers to help-seeking for young men.
Conclusions: The key challenge for online mental health services is to design interventions specifically for young men
that are action-based, focus on shifting behaviour and stigma, and are not simply about increasing mental health
knowledge. Furthermore, such interventions should be user-driven, informed by young men’s views and everyday
technology practices, and leverage the influence of peers.
Greatly enhanced accountability can drive mental health reform. As extant approaches are ineffect... more Greatly enhanced accountability can drive mental health reform. As extant approaches are ineffective, we propose a new approach. Australia spends around $7.6 billion on mental health services annually, but is anybody getting better? Effective accountability for mental health can reduce variation in care and increase effective service provision. Despite 20 years of rhetoric, Australia's approach to accountability in mental health is overly focused on fulfilling governmental reporting requirements rather than using data to drive reform. The existing system is both fragmented and outcome blind. Australia has failed to develop useful local and regional approaches to benchmarking in mental health. New approaches must address this gap and better reflect the experience of care felt by consumers and carers, as well as by service providers. There are important social priorities in mental health that must be assessed. We provide a brief overview of the existing system and propose a new, m...
A review of Aboriginal suicide prevention programs were conducted to highlight promising projects... more A review of Aboriginal suicide prevention programs were conducted to highlight promising projects and strategies. A content analysis of gray literature was conducted to identify interventions reported to have an impact in reducing suicidal rates and behaviors. Most programs targeted the whole community and were delivered through workshops, cultural activities, or creative outlets. Curriculums included suicide risk and protective factors, warning signs, and mental health. Many programs were poorly documented and evaluations did not include suicidal outcomes. Most evaluations considered process variables. Results from available outcome evaluations suggest that employing a whole of community approach and focusing on connectedness, belongingness and cultural heritage may be of benefit. Despite the challenges, there is a clear need to evaluate outcomes if prevention is to be progressed.
Background: This mixed-methods study was designed to explore young Australian men’s attitudes and... more Background: This mixed-methods study was designed to explore young Australian men’s attitudes and behaviour in
relation to mental health and technology use to inform the development of online mental health services for young men.
Methods: National online survey of 486 males (aged 16 to 24) and 17 focus groups involving 118 males (aged 16 to 24).
Results: Young men are heavy users of technology, particularly when it comes to entertainment and connecting with
friends, but they are also using technology for finding information and support. The focus group data suggested that
young men would be less likely to seek professional help for themselves, citing a preference for self-help and
action-oriented strategies instead. Most survey participants reported that they have sought help for a problem online and
were satisfied with the help they received. Focus group participants identified potential strategies for how technology
could be used to overcome the barriers to help-seeking for young men.
Conclusions: The key challenge for online mental health services is to design interventions specifically for young men
that are action-based, focus on shifting behaviour and stigma, and are not simply about increasing mental health
knowledge. Furthermore, such interventions should be user-driven, informed by young men’s views and everyday
technology practices, and leverage the influence of peers.
Greatly enhanced accountability can drive mental health reform. As extant approaches are ineffect... more Greatly enhanced accountability can drive mental health reform. As extant approaches are ineffective, we propose a new approach. Australia spends around $7.6 billion on mental health services annually, but is anybody getting better? Effective accountability for mental health can reduce variation in care and increase effective service provision. Despite 20 years of rhetoric, Australia's approach to accountability in mental health is overly focused on fulfilling governmental reporting requirements rather than using data to drive reform. The existing system is both fragmented and outcome blind. Australia has failed to develop useful local and regional approaches to benchmarking in mental health. New approaches must address this gap and better reflect the experience of care felt by consumers and carers, as well as by service providers. There are important social priorities in mental health that must be assessed. We provide a brief overview of the existing system and propose a new, m...
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relation to mental health and technology use to inform the development of online mental health services for young men.
Methods: National online survey of 486 males (aged 16 to 24) and 17 focus groups involving 118 males (aged 16 to 24).
Results: Young men are heavy users of technology, particularly when it comes to entertainment and connecting with
friends, but they are also using technology for finding information and support. The focus group data suggested that
young men would be less likely to seek professional help for themselves, citing a preference for self-help and
action-oriented strategies instead. Most survey participants reported that they have sought help for a problem online and
were satisfied with the help they received. Focus group participants identified potential strategies for how technology
could be used to overcome the barriers to help-seeking for young men.
Conclusions: The key challenge for online mental health services is to design interventions specifically for young men
that are action-based, focus on shifting behaviour and stigma, and are not simply about increasing mental health
knowledge. Furthermore, such interventions should be user-driven, informed by young men’s views and everyday
technology practices, and leverage the influence of peers.
relation to mental health and technology use to inform the development of online mental health services for young men.
Methods: National online survey of 486 males (aged 16 to 24) and 17 focus groups involving 118 males (aged 16 to 24).
Results: Young men are heavy users of technology, particularly when it comes to entertainment and connecting with
friends, but they are also using technology for finding information and support. The focus group data suggested that
young men would be less likely to seek professional help for themselves, citing a preference for self-help and
action-oriented strategies instead. Most survey participants reported that they have sought help for a problem online and
were satisfied with the help they received. Focus group participants identified potential strategies for how technology
could be used to overcome the barriers to help-seeking for young men.
Conclusions: The key challenge for online mental health services is to design interventions specifically for young men
that are action-based, focus on shifting behaviour and stigma, and are not simply about increasing mental health
knowledge. Furthermore, such interventions should be user-driven, informed by young men’s views and everyday
technology practices, and leverage the influence of peers.