Demographic and clinical characteristics of young people seeking help at youth mental health services: baseline findings of the Transitions Study.
Rosemary Purcell, Anthony F Jorm, Ian B Hickie, Alison R Yung, Christos Pantelis, G Paul Amminger, Nick Glozier, Eoin Killackey, Lisa J Phillips, Stephen J Wood, Susy Harrigan, Andrew Mackinnon, Elizabeth Scott, Daniel F Hermens, Adam J Guastella, Amanda Kenyon, Laura Mundy, Alissa Nichles, Antoinette Scaffidi, Daniela Spiliotacopoulos, Lara Taylor, Janet P Y Tong, Suzanne Wiltink, Natalia Zmicerevska, Patrick D McGorry
Author Information
Rosemary Purcell: Orygen Youth Health Research Centre, Centre for Youth Mental Health, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
Anthony F Jorm: School of Population and Global Health, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
Ian B Hickie: Brain & Mind Research Institute, The University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
Alison R Yung: Orygen Youth Health Research Centre, Centre for Youth Mental Health, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
Christos Pantelis: Melbourne Neuropsychiatry Centre, The University of Melbourne and Melbourne Health, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
G Paul Amminger: Orygen Youth Health Research Centre, Centre for Youth Mental Health, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
Nick Glozier: Brain & Mind Research Institute, The University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
Eoin Killackey: Orygen Youth Health Research Centre, Centre for Youth Mental Health, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
Lisa J Phillips: School of Psychological Sciences, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
Stephen J Wood: Melbourne Neuropsychiatry Centre, The University of Melbourne and Melbourne Health, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
Susy Harrigan: Orygen Youth Health Research Centre, Centre for Youth Mental Health, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
Andrew Mackinnon: Orygen Youth Health Research Centre, Centre for Youth Mental Health, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
Elizabeth Scott: Brain & Mind Research Institute, The University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
Daniel F Hermens: Brain & Mind Research Institute, The University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
Adam J Guastella: Brain & Mind Research Institute, The University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
Amanda Kenyon: Brain & Mind Research Institute, The University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
Laura Mundy: Orygen Youth Health Research Centre, Centre for Youth Mental Health, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
Alissa Nichles: Brain & Mind Research Institute, The University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
Antoinette Scaffidi: Orygen Youth Health Research Centre, Centre for Youth Mental Health, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
Daniela Spiliotacopoulos: Orygen Youth Health Research Centre, Centre for Youth Mental Health, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
Lara Taylor: Orygen Youth Health Research Centre, Centre for Youth Mental Health, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
Janet P Y Tong: Orygen Youth Health Research Centre, Centre for Youth Mental Health, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
Suzanne Wiltink: Orygen Youth Health Research Centre, Centre for Youth Mental Health, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
Natalia Zmicerevska: Brain & Mind Research Institute, The University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
Patrick D McGorry: Orygen Youth Health Research Centre, Centre for Youth Mental Health, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
AIM: The Transitions Study was designed to establish a cohort of young people (12-25 years) seeking help for mental health problems, in order to longitudinally explore and refine a clinical staging model of the development and progression of mental disorders. This paper presents the baseline demographic and clinical characteristics of the cohort, particularly the nature and severity of psychopathology. METHOD: All eligible young people attending one of four headspace clinical services were invited to participate, and completed a battery of self-report and interviewer-administered measures of psychopathology and functional impairment at baseline, which will be repeated at the annual follow up. RESULTS: Of 1615 eligible clients, 802 young people (66% women; mean age = 18.3 years) consented to participate and completed baseline assessments (participation rate = 50%). The severity of mental health problems varied, with 51% meeting the criteria for probable caseness related to generalized anxiety, 45% presenting with moderate to severe depressive symptoms and over a third experiencing subthreshold psychotic symptomatology. Disordered eating (32%) and problematic tobacco (56%), cannabis (30%) and alcohol (38%) use also affected a significant proportion. Overall, 39% of the cohort were classed as being functionally impaired at baseline. CONCLUSION: The Transitions Study recruited a heterogeneous cohort at baseline in relation to the nature and severity of mental health problems and levels of functional impairment. The variation in clinical presentations within the cohort, from mild, through moderate to severe levels of psychopathology and impairment, increases the likelihood of the Transitions Study ultimately being able to achieve its aims of empirically testing a clinical staging model for mental disorders.
