4.7: Working with Young People

David Featherston

Resources to support psychiatrists

Many of the websites detailed on this page have sections for health care professionals. It is worth taking time to look through a selection of these. Three have been provided below.

An e-learning resource developed by Children of Parents with a Mental Illness (COPMI) is titled ‘Keeping Families and Children in Mind: COPMI Mental Health Worker Education Resource’. The key objective of this module is for mental health workers to acknowledge the parental role of consumers and provide information and support that assists parents to fulfil their parenting role. http://www.copmi.net.au/

Rural Health Education Australia has a range of programs on mental health and Paediatrics/Child and Adolescent Health. http://www.rhef.com.au/programs/

National Early Intervention Group
This site contains a number of resources for clinicians working with young people with first episode psychosis.
http://www.earlypsychosis.org.nz/index.htm

The support agencies and resources for young people and carers have been divided under the following headings:

Young people with mental illness
Carers of young people with mental illness
Children/young carers of mentally ill parents

Young people with mental illness

The information below is also available as a PDF attachment that can be downloaded and printed for personal, patient and carer use.
Click to view Agencies for Young People with Mental Illness 4.7.pdf

Kids Helpline (Australia)
Kids Helpline is a 24-hour telephone and online counselling service for 5 to 25 year olds in Australia.
Phone: 1800 55 1800
www.kidshelpline.com.au

Lifeline Australia
Lifeline provides 24-hour confidential telephone counselling to anyone within Australia. You can talk to them about any problem, big or small.
Phone: 13 11 14
www.lifeline.org.au

Youthline (New Zealand)
Phone: 0800 376 633

Headspace - Australia’s National Youth Mental Health Foundation
This site provides a range of information including fact sheets and stories.
Phone: (61) 03 9027 0100
http://www.headspace.org.au/

Headspace NZ
This site offers a wealth of information under three sections: young people, family/whānau and schools. It also includes a Māori and Pacific Mental Health section. http://www.headspace.org.nz/index.htm

Orygen Youth Health (Australia)
OYH is an Australian youth-focused mental health organisation which includes a youth mental health clinical service, an internationally renowned youth mental health research centre and a youth mental health training and communications program.

http://oyh.org.au/

Carers of young people with mental illness

The knowledge and experience of carers of young people is not always valued by health professionals.⁽¹⁾ Carers and young people appreciate being part of the decision-making process. One child and adolescent consumer in the Consumer and Carer Survey explained the importance of having health professionals explain their condition, triggers and management strategies with family members so they know how to respond effectively to difficulties. Difficulties in interpreting the language were also reported. Carers reported that care can be made easier if provided with detailed explanations that allow the parent to explain to their child questions such as ‘why they are always tired in class’ and ‘why they wake up in the morning feeling sick in the stomach’.

Being the carer of a young person, there is an expectation that the carer has a level of responsibility. Findings in the Consumer and Carer Survey suggested that the parent can be too overbearing and not allow a young patient to self-manage. The balance required will need to be determined by the psychiatrist on a case-by-case basis.

Counselling support may be needed for carers and the young patient to adjust to the changes in lifestyle and an uncertain future.⁽¹⁾

Resources and agencies

A list of useful resources is provided. The list is also available as a PDF attachment that can be downloaded and printed for personal, patient and carer use. Click to view Agencies for Carers of Young People with Mental Illness 4.7.pdf

Kids Helpline (Australia)
Kids Helpline is a 24-hour telephone and online counselling service for 5 to 25 year olds in Australia.
Phone: 1800 55 1800
www.kidshelpline.com.au

Lifeline Australia
Lifeline provides 24-hour confidential telephone counselling to anyone within Australia. You can talk to them about any problem, big or small.
Phone: 13 11 14
www.lifeline.org.au

Youthline (New Zealand)
Phone: 0800 376 633

Carers Australia
The site has links to state- and territory-based organisations.
Phone: (61) 02 61229900
http://www.carersaustralia.com.au/

Headspace - Australia’s National Youth Mental Health Foundation
There is a parents/carers tab with useful information on this site.
Phone: (61) 03 9027 0100
http://www.headspace.org.au/

Headspace NZ
This site offers a wealth of information under three sections: young people, family/whānau and schools. It also includes a Māori and Pacific Mental Health section.
http://www.headspace.org.nz/index.htm

National Early Intervention Group (New Zealand)
This site provides details on two resources called Mind Your Head and Family Matters.
- Mind Your Head is a multimedia resource designed to inform young people and families, experiencing a first episode psychosis, about psychosis, recovery and interaction with mental health services.
- Family Matters is a DVD resource designed to help patients and their families understand psychosis. Four families share their stories of distress, determination and recovery. It is hoped their experiences will give others in similar situations, hope, and will show that there are strategies for coping with the stress of psychosis. Contact Susan Jones at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
  http://www.earlypsychosis.org.nz/mindyourhead.htm

Children and young carers of mentally ill parents

A study by the Australian Infant, Child, Adolescent and Family Mental Health Association (AICAFMHA) found that there are few resources available for parents with a serious mental illness who have young children.⁽²⁾ Alakus et al⁽³⁾ discuss a collaborative approach to assisting parents with a mental illness who have children aged five years and under. The research identifies the following issues.

The need for accessible support groups
Parent education and support groups are a valuable resource, not only for parents to improve their knowledge but also to mix with others who have similar experiences.⁽³⁾

Information about mental illness and resources
This includes information for young children to ease their concerns; a role that could be conducted by a staff member.

Parenting issues in relation to mental illness
A common fear of parents with a mental illness is that their children will be removed from their care. Organisations such as Children of Mentally Ill Consumers (COMIC) and Community Health Adolescent Murraylands Peer Support (CHAMP) provide care plans detailing what might happen in the event that the parent is hospitalised.

Research

A list of relevant bibliographies of research studies on children of parents with a mental illness or an intellectual disability can be found at http://www.aifs.gov.au/nch/bib/mentalill.html

Resources and agencies

The information below is also available as a PDF attachment that can be downloaded and printed for personal, patient and carer use.
Click to view Agencies for Children and Young Carers of People with Mental Illness 4.7.pdf

Young Carers Australia
The website is designed primarily to support young carers. It gives young carers the opportunity to access information, share caring ideas and stories, talk to other young carers and keep up to date with current news and events.
Phone: (61) 02 6122 9900
http://www.youngcarers.net.au/

Young Carers NSW
The Young Carer Program at Carers NSW was developed to make a positive difference to the lives of young carers (25 years and under) and their families. It offers camps, a quarterly newsletter, talk-link (telephone group counselling), face-to-face counselling, telephone support/information/referrals, an interactive young carer website, development of regional networks and community awareness and education.
Phone: (61) 02 9280 4744
http://www.youngcarersnsw.asn.au/

COMIC (Children of Mentally Ill Consumers)
There are a number of very useful resources on this site. The Child’s Care Plan aims to help parents if they become unwell and are temporarily unable to care for their children, a family support kit and helpline numbers. The ‘Supporting our Family’ kit has a sample letter for school, a checklist, and recommended resources.
http://www.howstat.com/comic/Home.asp

Children of Parents with a Mental Illness (COPMI)
There is a wealth of information for young people, health professionals, consumers and carers, with top class resources.
Phone: (61) 08 8367 0888
http://www.copmi.net.au/

Australian Infant, Child, Adolescent and Family Mental Health Association (AICAFMHA)
AICAFMHA promotes the mental health and well-being of infants, children, adolescents and their families and/or carers in Australia.
Phone: (61) 08 8132 0786
http://www.aicafmha.net.au/

Itsallright (Australia)
This is a site for young people who have a friend or family member affected by mental illness, covering a full range of information and conditions.
Phone: (61) 03 9682 5933
www.itsallright.org

References

National Advisory Committee on Health and Disability. Meeting the needs of people with chronic conditions. Wellington, New Zealand, 2007.
Australian Infant, Child, Adolescent and Family Mental Health Association. Children of Parents with a Mental Illness. Principles and Actions for Services and People Working with Children of Parents with a Mental Illness. 2003.
Alakus, C. Cornwell, MG et al. The needs of parents with a mental illness who have young children: an Australian perspective on service delivery options. Int Journal Social Psychiatry 2007;53(4):333–9.

Continue to Module 4.8: Review of Module 4