The impact of suicide registers and other monitoring systems on suicide prevention: A scoping review.

BACKGROUND: Decreasing suicide mortality has become an overarching goal for societies worldwide. Suicide registers and other monitoring systems are a valuable source of information that can be used for addressing the suicide phenomenon and evaluating preventative interventions. AIMS: This scoping review provides an overview of literature published in the last decade that has focussed on the operations (functioning) and characteristics of suicide registers and other suicide monitoring systems. METHODS: Four electronic databases were searched in 2020 for identifying published material from January 2010 to October 2020. The searches were updated in October 2023 to include material from 2020 to date. Grey literature through Google searches and mental health commissions websites and the reference lists of selected documents were also searched. RESULTS: Twenty-five articles were included in this review. Nearly half the articles were from the United States, followed by Australia. Nine countries were identified as having used suicide registers or suicide-specific monitoring systems to inform suicide prevention. Monitoring mechanisms varied across the countries examined. No article provided evidence that definitively linked suicide registers or other monitoring systems for suicide with the prevention of suicide or reduction in suicide rates. However, a variety of benefits of suicide monitoring for preventative and public health interventions were identified. CONCLUSIONS: The number of nations with surveillance systems for suicide prevention is low. Further, there is a lack of consistency in the systematic collection, analysis and interpretation of suicide-related information across the countries examined. Efforts to establish high-quality suicide surveillance systems that can be accessed in a timely and easy manner are needed to inform tailored strategies for suicide prevention.

Outdoor mental healthcare: What, who, why and where to?

Objective: Outdoor mental healthcare can increase the breadth of multidisciplinary interventions available to people with a therapeutic need. The aim of this article is to educate readers about the field of outdoor mental healthcare through the exploration of a series of basic questions.Conclusions: Outdoor mental healthcare spans a range of therapies that apply a variety of theoretical approaches and treatments across a multiplicity of settings, patient groups and desired outcomes unified by key evidence-informed practice elements. Through use of a predominantly non-mainstream workforce working in non-conventional clinical settings outdoor mental healthcare may contribute to treatment accessibility and acceptability.

Exploring the relationship between baseline health-related quality of life (AQoL-4D utility values) and mortality during long-term follow-up for people living with a psychotic disorder.

Holistic summary measures of health-related quality of life (HRQoL) could provide useful information for screening and/or monitoring high-risk individuals. This study explores the association of baseline HRQoL (AQoL-4D values) with death from natural and external causes (such as suicide, overdose, or accident) in a prevalent cohort over a mean follow-up of 6.9-years. Baseline data were obtained from the 2010 National Survey of High Impact Psychosis (SHIP) and its 2012 sister survey, the North-Metro Survey of High Impact Psychosis. Follow-up data were obtained from the National Deaths Index (to January 18, 2018). Associations between baseline HRQoL (and the 12 individual items of the AQoL-4D) and deaths by cause, stratified by sex were investigated using multivariable Cox Proportional Hazards models, with age used as the time scale. Overall, 7.6 % of the cohort (137 of 1805 people meeting ICD-10 criteria for a psychotic disorder and agreeing to linkage) died, 4.2 % from natural causes (primarily heart disease and cancer) and 3.4 % from external causes. There was an association between low HRQoL (AQoL-4D ≤ 0.20) and mortality due to natural causes, primarily driven by difficulties with mobility and vision in men, and difficulty with household tasks in women. No significant associations were obtained between AQoL-4D utilities and death from external causes. Sleep problems were associated with death from external causes for men only. As people with psychotic disorders experience multiple causes of death with complex associations which are difficult to quantify, monitoring for low HRQoL using the AQoL-4D could be a useful indicator of increased mortality risk in this population. TWITTER: Monitoring for low HRQoL (AQoL-4D ≤ 0.20) could be a useful indicator of increased mortality risk from natural causes in people living with psychotic disorders, with differing but specific items of relevance to men and women.

Health-Related Quality of Life Scores and Values as Predictors of Mortality: A Scoping Review.

Health-related quality of life (HRQoL) can be assessed through measures that can be generic or disease specific, encompass several independent scales, or employ holistic assessment (i.e., the derivation of composite scores). HRQoL measures may identify patients with differential risk profiles. However, the usefulness of generic and holistic HRQoL measures in identifying patients at higher risk of death is unclear. The aim of the present study was to undertake a scoping review of generic, holistic assessments of HRQoL as predictors of mortality in general non-patient populations and clinical sub-populations with specified conditions or risk factors in persons 18 years or older. Five databases were searched from 18 June to 29 June 2020 to identify peer-reviewed published articles. The searches were updated in August 2022. Reference lists of included and cited articles were also searched. Of 2552 articles screened, 110 met criteria for inclusion. Over one-third of studies were from North America. Most studies pertained to sub-populations with specified conditions and/or risk factors, almost a quarter for people with cardiovascular diseases. There were no studies pertaining to people with mental health conditions. Nearly three-quarters of the studies used a RAND Corporation QoL instrument, predominantly the SF-36, and nearly a quarter, a utility instrument, predominantly the EQ-5D. HRQoL was associated with mortality in 67 of 72 univariate analyses (92%) and 100 of 109 multivariate analyses (92%). HRQoL was found to be associated with mortality in the general population and clinical sub-populations with physical health conditions. Whether this relationship holds in people with mental health conditions is not known. HRQoL assessment may be useful for screening and/or monitoring purposes to understand how people perceive their health and well-being and as an indicator of mortality risk, encouraging better-quality and timely patient care to support and maximize what may be a patient's only modifiable outcome.

Corrigendum to: Out-of-pocket payments: impacts on healthcare decision-making and system and individual level measures to minimise the burden.

Out-of-pocket healthcare payments are a concern for all, particularly those least able to afford them, a situation only being exacerbated by the current cost-of-living crisis. This article aims to provide an overview of out-of-pocket payments and their impacts on decision-making: whether, or not to delay care or seek care at all. The impact of average out-of-pocket payments on demand for mental healthcare services is provided as a specific example. The available data indicate a positive linear relationship between the average out-of-pocket payments for Medicare services by type of provider, and the proportion of patients who decide not to obtain care from a given type provider. This article also poses that current safety net processes are not consumer centric, the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) Safety Net particularly so, and that change is required. It is recommended that a consumer-centric approach should be adopted with everyone listed on a Medicare card automatically included in the assessment of the Medicare and PBS Safety Nets and for the PBS Safety Net to be automatically assessed through Services Australia. Links to websites are provided to support individual decision-making and registering for available safety nets. Finally, supply side considerations and their implications for market equilibrium and the economy are briefly overviewed.

Out-of-pocket payments: impacts on healthcare decision-making and system and individual level measures to minimise the burden.

Out-of-pocket healthcare payments are a concern for all, particularly those least able to afford them, a situation only being exacerbated by the current cost-of-living crisis. This article aims to provide an overview of out-of-pocket payments and their impacts on decision-making: whether, or not to delay care or seek care at all. The impact of average out-of-pocket payments on demand for mental healthcare services is provided as a specific example. The available data indicate a positive linear relationship between the average out-of-pocket payments for Medicare services by type of provider, and the proportion of patients who decide not to obtain care from a given type provider. This article also poses that current safety net processes are not consumer centric, the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) Safety Net particularly so, and that change is required. It is recommended that a consumer-centric approach should be adopted with everyone listed on a Medicare card automatically included in the assessment of the Medicare and PBS Safety Nets and for the PBS Safety Net to be automatically assessed through Services Australia. Links to websites are provided to support individual decision-making and registering for available safety nets. Finally, supply side considerations and their implications for market equilibrium and the economy are briefly overviewed.

The underexplored presence of seasonal affective disorder in the southern hemisphere: A narrative review of the Australian literature.

BACKGROUND: Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) is well documented in the medical literature, particularly in more northern latitudes in agreement with proposed hypotheses for SAD's pathophysiology. However, in the southern latitudes SAD's presence remains underexplored. The second largest country in the southern hemisphere is Australia. Australia has wide ranging geographical and climatic differences that are expected to support SAD's presence. The aim of this study is therefore, to establish an evidence base for SAD in Australia. METHODS: PubMed and Google Scholar were searched for published peer-review studies focussed on, or related to SAD, winter depression or seasonal variation in mood in Australia. There were no time-period restrictions. RESULTS: Thirteen studies were identified. Studies explored the presence/nature of SAD, contributing factors, autonomic activity, treatment, and the validity of the Seasonal Pattern Assessment Questionnaire in the Australian population. An association between changes in mood and behaviour and seasonal occurrence was clearly identified, with SAD's presence varying by location. The highest percentage of study participants with SAD in a single location was observed in Tasmania, Australia's most southern state. The findings and interpretations of the studies included in this review are subject to the number of locations assessed, the number of studies undertaken at each location and individual study limitations. CONCLUSIONS: Ascertaining information on the prevalence and correlates of SAD in the southern hemisphere, particularly in high-risk locations could contribute to clinical literacy into the syndrome, support management practices, and promote the early identification and treatment of the disorder.

The cost-effectiveness of coronary calcium score-guided statin therapy initiation for Australians with family histories of premature coronary artery disease.

OBJECTIVES: To compare the cost-effectiveness of coronary artery calcium (CAC) score-guided statin therapy criteria and American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association (ACC/AHA) guidelines (10-year pooled cohort equation [PCE] risk ≥ 7.5%) with selection according to Australian guidelines (5-year absolute cardiovascular disease risk [ACVDR] ≥ 10%), for people with family histories of premature coronary artery disease. STUDY DESIGN, SETTING: Markov microsimulation state transition model based on data from the Coronary Artery calcium score: Use to Guide management of Hereditary Coronary Artery Disease (CAUGHT-CAD) trial and transition probabilities derived from published statin prescribing and adherence outcomes and clinical data. PARTICIPANTS: 1083 people with family histories of premature coronary artery disease but no symptomatic cardiovascular disease. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Relative cost-effectiveness over fifteen years, from the perspective of the Australian health care system, compared with usual care (Australian guidelines), assessed as incremental cost-effectiveness ratios (ICERs), with a notional willingness-to-pay threshold of $50 000 per quality-adjusted life-year (QALY) gained. RESULTS: Applying the Australian guidelines, 77 people were eligible for statin therapy (7.1%); with ACVDR 5-year risk ≥ 2% and CAC score > 0, 496 people (46%); with ACVDR 5-year risk ≥ 2% and CAC score ≥ 100, 155 people (14%); and with the ACC/AHA guidelines, 256 people (24%). The ICERs for CAC-guided selection were $33 108 (CAC ≥ 100) and $53 028 per QALY gained (CAC > 0); the ACC/AHA guidelines approach (ICER, $909 241 per QALY gained) was not cost-effective. CAC score-guided selection (CAC ≥ 100) was cost-effective for people with 5-year ACVDR of at least 5%. CONCLUSION: Expanding the number of people at low to intermediate CVD risk eligible for statin therapy should selectively target people with subclinical atherosclerosis identified by CAC screening. This approach can be more cost-effective than simply lowering treatment eligibility thresholds.

Effects of a Mindfulness App on Employee Stress in an Australian Public Sector Workforce: Randomized Controlled Trial.

BACKGROUND: Workplace-based mindfulness programs have good evidence for improving employee stress and mental health outcomes, but less is known about their effects on productivity and citizenship behaviors. Most of the available evidence is derived from studies of mindfulness programs that use class-based approaches. Mindfulness apps can increase access to training, but whether self-directed app use is sufficient to realize benefits equivalent to class-based mindfulness programs is unknown. OBJECTIVE: We assessed the effectiveness of a mindfulness app, both with and without supporting classes, for reducing employees' perceived stress. Changes in mindfulness, mental health, quality of life, perceptions of job demand, control and support, productivity indicators, organizational citizenship, and mindful behaviors at work were also investigated. METHODS: Tasmanian State Service employees were invited by the Tasmanian Training Consortium to a 3-arm randomized controlled trial investigating the effects of a mindfulness app on stress. The app used in the Smiling Mind Workplace Program formed the basis of the intervention. The app includes lessons, activities, and guided meditations, and is supported by 4 instructional emails delivered over 8 weeks. Engagement with the app for 10-20 minutes, 5 days a week, was recommended. Reported data were collected at baseline (time point 0), 3 months from baseline (time point 1 [T1]), and at 6-month follow-up (time point 2). At time point 0, participants could nominate a work-based observer to answer surveys about participants' behaviors. Eligible participants (n=211) were randomly assigned to self-guided app use plus four 1-hour classes (app+classes: 70/211, 33.2%), self-guided app use (app-only: 71/211, 33.6%), or waitlist control (WLC; 70/211, 33.2%). Linear mixed effects models were used to assess changes in the active groups compared with the WLC at T1 and for a head-to-head comparison of the app+classes and app-only groups at follow-up. RESULTS: App use time was considerably lower than recommended (app+classes: 120/343 minutes; app-only: 45/343 minutes). Compared with the WLC at T1, no significant change in perceived stress was observed in either active group. However, the app+classes group reported lower psychological distress (ß=-1.77, SE 0.75; P=.02; Cohen d=-0.21) and higher mindfulness (ß=.31, SE 0.12; P=.01; Cohen d=0.19). These effects were retained in the app+classes group at 6 months. No significant changes were observed for the app-only group or for other outcomes. There were no significant changes in observer measures at T1, but by time point 2, the app+classes participants were more noticeably mindful and altruistic at work than app-only participants. CONCLUSIONS: Including classes in the training protocol appears to have motivated engagement and led to benefits, whereas self-guided app use did not realize any significant results. Effect sizes were smaller and less consistent than meta-estimates for class-based mindfulness training. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Register ACTRN12617001386325; https://www.anzctr.org.au/Trial/Registration/TrialReview.aspx?id=372942&isReview.

Health-related quality of life in people with psychotic disorders: The role of loneliness and its contributors.

BACKGROUND: Perception of loneliness has been identified as the strongest predictor of health-related quality of life assessed with the Assessment of Quality of Life-4D in people with psychotic disorders. We aimed to establish contributors to perceived loneliness, and ascertain the mediating role of loneliness in the relationship between identified contributors to loneliness and other known predictors of health-related quality of life with health-related quality of life. METHODS: Data for 1642 people collected as part of the 2010 Australian National Survey of Psychosis were analysed. Health-related quality of life was assessed using the Assessment of Quality of Life-4D, and loneliness through a single-item five-level categorical variable. To identify independent contributors to loneliness, a statistical model was constructed with reference to a theoretical model comprising 23 variables. A predictive model with health-related quality of life as the dependent variable was then developed and tested to assess the mediating role of loneliness. RESULTS: Nine contributors to loneliness were found (social dysfunction, experienced stigma, contact with friends, diagnosis, depressive symptoms, anxiety, mental health service utilisation, arthritis and traumatic events in childhood), with social dysfunction the strongest. In the prediction of health-related quality of life, all contributors to loneliness were partially mediated through loneliness (except service utilisation) as were negative symptoms and use of psychotropic/anticholinergic medications. CONCLUSION: Assuming a plausible causal model of mediation, loneliness was found to have direct and indirect effects on health-related quality of life in people with psychotic disorders. Findings add impetus to efforts to develop and trial strategies aimed at reducing loneliness in this population, and, in turn, improving their health-related quality of life.

The Tasmanian Conception to Community (C2C) Study Database 2008-09 to 2013-14: Using linked health administrative data to address each piece in the puzzle.

BACKGROUND: Tasmania, Australia has a small widely dispersed regional and rural population. The Conception to Community (C2C) Study Database was established as a research platform to inform service planning and policy development and improve health outcomes for Tasmanian mothers and children. The aims of this study were to establish by maternal socio-demographic characteristics: 1) the distribution of births in Tasmania; 2) hospital utilisation for children from birth to 5-years; and 3) the association between child and maternal emergency department (ED) presentation rates. METHODS: Perinatal and public hospital ED and admitted patient data were linked for every child born in Tasmania between 2008-09 to 2013-14, and their mothers. Individualised rates of ED presentations and hospital admissions were calculated from birth to 5-years. Frequent presenters to ED were defined as having at least four presentations per annum. Ratios of ED presentation and hospital admission rates by sociodemographic characteristics (region (north, north-west, south), rurality, maternal age, and area socioeconomic disadvantage) were estimated using mixed-effects negative binomial models, with random intercepts for each child and family. RESULTS: The C2C Database is comprised of records for 37,041 children and 27,532 mothers. One-in-ten Tasmanian babies lived in a remote area. The mean yearly rate of ED presentations per child varied by sex, age, region and rurality. Frequent presenters were more likely to reside in the north-west or north, in urban areas, have mothers under 20- years, be male, and live in more disadvantaged areas, with 2.3% of children frequent presenters in their first year of life. The odds of a child being a frequent presenter during their first-year was 6.1- times higher if the mother was a frequent presenter during this period. CONCLUSION: Associations between maternal and child health service use and combined effects of regionality and rurality highlight opportunities for targeted intervention and service innovations.

Proposing a causal pathway for health-related quality of life in people with psychotic disorders.

This study aimed to establish independent predictors for health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in people with psychotic disorders, and the mediating role of global functioning in those relationships. Data for 1642 people collected as part of the second Australian National Survey of Psychosis were analyzed. The Assessment of Quality of Life (AQoL)-4D and the Personal and Social Performance scale were used for assessing HRQoL and global functioning respectively. The study commenced with a theoretical model comprised of 26 sociodemographic and clinical variables. A predictive model for HRQoL was built up using a purposeful selection strategy to arrive at a set of clinically meaningful, independent predictors. The mediating effect of global functioning was then assessed. Seven variables were found to have an independent effect on HRQoL: perception of loneliness, number of negative symptoms, use of psychotropic and anticholinergic medications, course of disorder, lifetime histories of chronic pain and cardiovascular disease and living arrangements at the time of the interview. All variables except perceived loneliness and chronic pain were partially mediated through global functioning. This final model explained 46% of the variance in HRQoL, with loneliness and number of negative symptoms the strongest predictors. Evidence in support of a credible causal pathway for HRQoL in people with psychotic disorders, mediated by global functioning was presented. The importance of the quality of social relationships was highlighted, and potential targets for improving the HRQoL of this population identified.

Maternal smoking during pregnancy: Trends and determinants in the conception to community study.

BACKGROUND: Despite earlier declines, maternal smoking during pregnancy continues to be a public health problem. We examined trends and factors associated with maternal smoking during and between pregnancy over six years. METHODS: Participants were 27 532 pregnant women in Tasmanian public hospitals whose smoking status was gathered by midwives during perinatal care between July 2008 and June 2014. Generalized linear modeling was used to examine the trends in prevalence of maternal smoking over time and factors associated with change in smoking status both within and between pregnancies. RESULTS: Smoking during pregnancy decreased from 25.9% in 2008 to 16.4% in 2014 (57.9% decline). Multivariable regression analysis suggested that maternal alcohol consumption during pregnancy, living in a highly socioeconomically disadvantaged area, and being an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander significantly increased the risk of maternal smoking during pregnancy. Being older, married, or in a de facto relationship, and intending to breastfeed were associated with reduced risk of smoking during pregnancy. Between index (first birth recorded in data set) and last pregnancy, 35.1% of smokers quit, but 5.1% of nonsmokers started smoking. Only 8.1% of mothers who smoked during the first half of pregnancy quit by the second half. CONCLUSIONS: Maternal smoking during pregnancy is decreasing. To sustain the decline, preventive efforts must address the role of social determinants of health (eg, mothers who drink alcohol, live in highly disadvantaged areas, are younger and single) among women who smoke during pregnancy.

Maternal Smoking in Pregnancy and Child's Hospital Use up to 5 Years of Age in a Data Linkage Birth Cohort.

OBJECTIVES: To examine if exposure to maternal smoking during pregnancy is associated with emergency department (ED) presentation and admission through the ED in children up to 5 years after birth. METHODS: Antenatal records of all children up to 5 years of age who were born in Tasmania, Australia, between July 2008 and June 2014 were linked to health service use (ED presentations and hospital admissions). Negative binomial regression was used to estimate the incidence rate ratio (IRR) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) at ≤1 year and ≤5 years for ED presentations and admissions to the hospital through the ED for any reason and by 9 major disease categories for children exposed versus children not exposed to maternal smoking during pregnancy. Models were adjusted for sex, socioeconomic position, maternal age at birth, and region of residence. Presentations and admissions for poisoning and injuries were used as a negative control. RESULTS: Among 36 630 infants, 21% were exposed to maternal smoking during pregnancy. Exposed children had a 26% higher rate of presentation to the ED (IRRadjusted 1.26; 95% CI 1.23-1.29) and a 45% higher rate of admission (IRRadjusted 1.45; 95% CI 1.39-1.51) at up to 5 years of age. Compared with the negative control, higher presentation and admission rates were evident in respiratory; eyes, ears, nose, and throat; psychosocial; and infectious disease categories. CONCLUSIONS: Higher health care service use was observed in children exposed to maternal smoking during pregnancy for a range of conditions associated with exposure to smoking. The findings reinforce the need to reduce smoking among people in their childbearing years.

Loneliness and its association with health service utilization in people with a psychotic disorder.

BACKGROUND: Loneliness is common in people with psychotic disorders and associated with reduced health and well-being. The relationship between loneliness in psychosis and health service use is unclear. This study examined whether loneliness predicts increased health care utilization in this population, independently of sociodemographics, health and functioning. METHODS: We used cross-sectional data from the Second Australian National Survey of Psychosis. Loneliness was assessed using a single-item question, rated on a 4-point scale (not lonely; lonely occasionally; some friends but lonely for company; socially isolated and lonely). Health service use (past 12-months) was measured by the number of general practitioner (GP), emergency department (ED) and outpatient visits, inpatient admissions, and home visits by mental health professionals. Frequent hospital users comprised those in the top 15% of users of at least two services. RESULTS: Negative binomial regression analysis showed that loneliness was associated with an increased number of GP visits, ED visits and inpatient admissions, only. Socially isolated and lonely survey participants were more than twice as likely (OR = 2.6) of being 'frequent users' compared to non-lonely responders. Following stringent adjustment for covariates, loneliness remained significantly associated with being a 'frequent user' and showed a non-significant trend to an increased number of GP visits and inpatient admissions. CONCLUSIONS: Loneliness is a complex social and personal problem for people with psychosis, related to greater use of some health services. Better strategies for identifying and responding to loneliness in this population have the potential to increase well-being and contain health service utilization costs.

Before, during and after: Trauma-informed care in burns settings.

Trauma-informed care (TIC) is a model for the relationship of care between service users and service providers that recognises the importance of trauma, past and present, on that person's experiences, vulnerabilities and recovery. Burn injuries are a complex area of healthcare where trauma and the mental health disorders associated with trauma can both precede and proceed a burns injury with complications for recovery. Incorporating a model of TIC in the assessment and treatment of burns patients will proactively work to mitigate and arrest trauma responses, mental disorders and their sequelae in this population. With reference to the existing TIC knowledge base, we propose development of a model for the TIC of burns patients divided into three stages; before, during and after initial engagement with the patient. In the before stage, TIC will require clinical-level change, organisational integration, training and time. In the during stage, five elements are identified; creating safety, screening, collaborative inclusion of the patient in the intervention and recovery planning process, psychoeducation of the patient and supporters, and the use of peer-led services. In the after stage, patients need to be proactively supported through outreach and follow-up. Implementation of a trauma-informed model of care for burns injury patients provides significant opportunities to burns services and benefits towards their patients' recovery.

Trend of emergency department presentations with a mental health diagnosis in Australia by diagnostic group, 2004-05 to 2016-17.

OBJECTIVE: To examine trends of ED presentations with a mental health (MH) diagnosis in Australia and its jurisdictions by diagnostic group between 2004-05 and 2016-17. METHODS: Data comprised ED presentations with a principal diagnosis of ICD-10-AM F00-F99 (MHdx ) captured within the National Non-Admitted Patient Emergency Department Care Database. Trends in absolute number and rates of MHdx presentations per 10 000 population were assessed as differences (x-fold) and annual growth rates (average and compound). RESULTS: Increased presentation rates were observed for most diagnostic groups, except for mental retardation (F70-F79) and mood disorders (F30-F39). The greatest absolute increase was for psychoactive substance use-related disorders (F10-F19), and relative increase, unspecified mental disorder (F99). There was differentiation across jurisdictions regarding rates of and growth in presentations. In 2016-17, rates at least twice the national average were observed for psychoactive substance-use (F10-F19), schizophrenia and psychotic disorders (F20-F29) and childhood and adolescence onset disorders (F90-F98) in the Northern Territory, F90-F98 in South Australia, personality disorders (F60-F69) in Tasmania and unspecified mental disorder (F99) in New South Wales. The most marked growth was observed for F99 in New South Wales. CONCLUSION: Between 2004-05 and 2016-17, rates of ED presentations increased across most MH diagnostic groups, but particularly psychoactive substance use-related disorders. To reduce the need for MH crisis care in Australian EDs, strategies are required to reduce psychoactive substance use in the community, and policies may be needed to strengthen the capability of community MH services and primary care professionals to recognise, diagnose and treat earlier in the course of illness.

Mental disorders in children known to child protection services during early childhood.

OBJECTIVES: To examine associations between being the subject of child protection reports in early childhood and diagnoses of mental disorders during middle childhood, by level of service response. DESIGN, SETTING, PARTICIPANTS: Retrospective analysis of linked New South Wales administrative data, 2001-2016, for a population cohort of children (mean age in 2016, 13.2 years; SD, 0.37 years) enrolled in the longitudinal NSW Child Development Study (NSW-CDS), wave 2 linkage. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Associations between being the subject of a child protection report (any, and by level of child protection response) during early childhood (birth to 6 years of age) and diagnoses of mental disorders during middle childhood (6-14 years). RESULTS: 13 796 of 74 462 children in the NSW-CDS (18.5%) had been the subjects of reports to child protection services during early childhood: 1148 children had been placed in out-of-home care at least once, and 1680 had been the subjects of substantiated risk-of-significant-harm reports but were not placed in care, while 9161 had non-substantiated reports, and 1807 had reports of facts that did not reach the threshold for significant harm. After adjusting for sex, socio-economic disadvantage, perinatal complications, and parental mental illness, early childhood contact with protection services was associated with increased frequency of being diagnosed with a mental disorder during middle childhood (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 2.72; 95% CI, 2.51-2.95). The frequency was highest for children who had been placed in out-of-home care (aOR, 5.25; 95% CI, 4.46-6.18). CONCLUSION: Childhood-onset mental disorders are more frequently diagnosed in children who come to the attention of child protection services during early childhood, particularly in children placed in out-of-home care.