Background
Mental ill-health is a key health issue facing young
Australians today. While the physical health of young
people has improved in recent decades, their mental health
appears to have worsened. Mental health and substance
use disorders now account for over 50% of the burden of
disease in the 15–25 years age group, and 75% of mental
health disorders that will affect people across the lifespan
will have emerged for the first time by the age of 25 years.
Objective
This article provides the general practitioner with key
factors in assessing the young person with a mental illness:
when to worry and what the early stages of mental illness
look like; and provides guidance and tips for effective
treatment.
Discussion
Mental ill-health in young people is all too often accepted
as a ‘normal’ feature of adolescence. However, the short
and long term consequences of mental illness include
impaired social functioning, poor educational achievement,
substance abuse, self harm, suicide and violence.
Distinguishing between what represents transitory and
normative changes in behaviour and disturbances that
may represent the early signs of the onset of a potentially
serious mental illness is difficult, particularly in young
people, where emotional disturbance and distress is such a
common experience. The primary goal of initial assessment
is not to make a definitive diagnosis but rather to assess
risk and the need for clinical care. The GP has an important
role to play in longitudinal assessment and ongoing review,
and facilitating access to treatment and mobilising support
networks.
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