Antipsychotic Medication In First-episode Psychosis: An RCT To Assess The Risk-benefit Ratio
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$1,141,117.00
Summary
There has been an increasing emphasis on intervening early in psychotic disorders. A fundamental principle in early intervention is “to do no harm” and benefits must outweigh the risks of treatment. While antipsychotic medication is very effective and evidence-based form of treatment for positive symptoms in most first episode psychosis (FEP) patients it has risks. This study has the potential to determine whether antipsychotic medication should be the initial treatment option for FEP.
Neuroimaging In Mental Health: The Quest For Clinically Useful Biomarkers
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$437,034.00
Summary
To ultimately improve treatment of mental illness, this research program aims to detect robust and reliable neuroimaging markers that are associated with affective disorders by pooling data from many samples across the world. Moreover, this research aims to develop alternative biological-based classifications of mental illness in young people, and evaluate their clinical value by examining their predictive value for treatment response and disease course.
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE240100066
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$445,017.00
Summary
Contemporary social and environmental risks for youth offending. While social and technology changes have led to reductions in low-level youth offending, chronic youth offending has not reduced notably, and is growing in areas of Australia. This project aims to generate new knowledge on underlying social and environmental risks for chronic youth offending in Australia to improve the effectiveness of crime prevention and desistance strategies to reduce reoffending. This project uses longitudinal ....Contemporary social and environmental risks for youth offending. While social and technology changes have led to reductions in low-level youth offending, chronic youth offending has not reduced notably, and is growing in areas of Australia. This project aims to generate new knowledge on underlying social and environmental risks for chronic youth offending in Australia to improve the effectiveness of crime prevention and desistance strategies to reduce reoffending. This project uses longitudinal survey and youth justice data, and interviews with young people, to identify key social and environmental risks for chronic youth offending. Expected outcomes of the project include evidence to inform effective crime prevention and desistance strategies for young people ‘at risk’ or engaged in chronic offending.Read moreRead less
Preventive And Early Intervention Strategies In Emerging Mental Disorders In Young People
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$2,000,000.00
Summary
The Centre will be developed through the extension of a youth psychiatry clinical research program of international standing across Melbourne and Sydney. The CCRE will have a major impact on the growth and sustainability of clinical research expertise in youth mental health and its translation into clinical practice. Funds will be targeted specifically at two key opportunities in an evolving structure, namely the early career path for emerging young clinical researchers and the need for more inn ....The Centre will be developed through the extension of a youth psychiatry clinical research program of international standing across Melbourne and Sydney. The CCRE will have a major impact on the growth and sustainability of clinical research expertise in youth mental health and its translation into clinical practice. Funds will be targeted specifically at two key opportunities in an evolving structure, namely the early career path for emerging young clinical researchers and the need for more innovative and potent translation of clinical research into the real world of clinical practice. NHMRC CCRE funding will strengthen the ORC initiative by strategically filling gaps in early career development and training, and drive dissemination and translation of research into clinical practice across Australia.Read moreRead less
Hunger for Change: Student Food Insecurity and Youth Agency in Australia. Rising food prices threaten to exacerbate an already pressing problem of food insecurity among students in Australia universities. This project will examine the causes, consequences, and nature of food insecurity among students in Australia employing interviews, focus groups and participant observation. It will contribute to scholarly debates on food security and youth agency through highlighting the imaginative ways in wh ....Hunger for Change: Student Food Insecurity and Youth Agency in Australia. Rising food prices threaten to exacerbate an already pressing problem of food insecurity among students in Australia universities. This project will examine the causes, consequences, and nature of food insecurity among students in Australia employing interviews, focus groups and participant observation. It will contribute to scholarly debates on food security and youth agency through highlighting the imaginative ways in which young people are developing responses to food insecurity. The project will offer the Australian government, State governments and universities opportunities to build upon student-led solutions to food insecurity, enhance capacity for research on food and youth issues, and heighten public understanding of the issue.Read moreRead less
Families at the centre: negotiating Australia's mixed market in early education and care. Despite a surge of policy reforms and Australian government investment in early childhood education and care (ECEC), little is known in Australia about how local ECEC markets function and how low-income families make decisions about the use or non-use of child care services. This project will provide evidence for policy-making and service provision that aims to encourage child care use by low-income familie ....Families at the centre: negotiating Australia's mixed market in early education and care. Despite a surge of policy reforms and Australian government investment in early childhood education and care (ECEC), little is known in Australia about how local ECEC markets function and how low-income families make decisions about the use or non-use of child care services. This project will provide evidence for policy-making and service provision that aims to encourage child care use by low-income families. The direct involvement of child care providers in the research will strengthen its relevance and impact. This research will place Australia at the forefront of international research on local child care markets, and resulting improvements in ECEC policy and services will generate substantial economic and social benefits.Read moreRead less
Research Utilisation in Child Protection Policy: Understanding and Conceptualising the Role of Research in Social Policy Development. The findings of this project will have significant benefits for vulnerable children and families by enhancing the capacity for research-informed policy in child protection. In this way, the project will also have significant flow-on economic benefits for Local, State and Federal Governments by decreasing the social and economic costs associated with child abuse an ....Research Utilisation in Child Protection Policy: Understanding and Conceptualising the Role of Research in Social Policy Development. The findings of this project will have significant benefits for vulnerable children and families by enhancing the capacity for research-informed policy in child protection. In this way, the project will also have significant flow-on economic benefits for Local, State and Federal Governments by decreasing the social and economic costs associated with child abuse and neglect. Research funding will have a greater impact by the increased understanding this study will provide about how research can be more effectively used in policy.Read moreRead less
Optimising Early Interventions For Young People With Emerging Mood Disorder
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$2,653,052.00
Summary
One of our greatest health challenges is to develop highly-personalised interventions for teenagers and young adults with emerging mood disorders, like major depression or bipolar disorder. This new Australian centre combines our national expertise and links it with research innovation and training in key European and North American centres. It tests the viability of selecting the best treatments for young people with mood disorders on the basis of novel genetic, neuropsychological, circadian, i ....One of our greatest health challenges is to develop highly-personalised interventions for teenagers and young adults with emerging mood disorders, like major depression or bipolar disorder. This new Australian centre combines our national expertise and links it with research innovation and training in key European and North American centres. It tests the viability of selecting the best treatments for young people with mood disorders on the basis of novel genetic, neuropsychological, circadian, imaging, immunological or clinical methods.Read moreRead less
Cumulative Harm: Reducing child abuse through improved decision-making. In 2005/06 56,000 cases of child abuse were substantiated in Australia, and this figure is rising exponentially. Disillusionment is growing with an incident based approach to children's safety which fails to either acknowledge or intervene effectively in the cumulative effects of harm to the child's development and well-being. This project uses the leverage of new legislation to re-focus on an earlier intervention with vulne ....Cumulative Harm: Reducing child abuse through improved decision-making. In 2005/06 56,000 cases of child abuse were substantiated in Australia, and this figure is rising exponentially. Disillusionment is growing with an incident based approach to children's safety which fails to either acknowledge or intervene effectively in the cumulative effects of harm to the child's development and well-being. This project uses the leverage of new legislation to re-focus on an earlier intervention with vulnerable children at risk of cumulative harm within a hospital setting. An interdisciplinary lens is bought to the development of new knowledge to provide a better and healthier start to life for this group of children.Read moreRead less
DIsrupting Child Exploitation - the DICE project. Child sexual exploitation is an insidious social problem which impacts the most vulnerable children and young people in Australia. The DICE project (Disrupting Child Sexual Exploitation) aims to develop a multi-agency response which pivots the focus of intervention to the sexual exploitation predators who target vulnerable young people in statutory care. Previous interventions have prioritised protecting (and controlling) the young people, with l ....DIsrupting Child Exploitation - the DICE project. Child sexual exploitation is an insidious social problem which impacts the most vulnerable children and young people in Australia. The DICE project (Disrupting Child Sexual Exploitation) aims to develop a multi-agency response which pivots the focus of intervention to the sexual exploitation predators who target vulnerable young people in statutory care. Previous interventions have prioritised protecting (and controlling) the young people, with limited success. Through a trauma informed approach which supports young people, combined with disruptive police strategies targeting perpetrators, and co-ordinated multiagency working, it is anticipated that there will be measurable changes to the protection of vulnerable young people. Read moreRead less