SEED is the only research program of its kind across Australia with a focus on promoting mental health and preventing mental disorders from early childhood to adulthood and into the next generation.
Finding the developmental origins of mental health
The global burden of disease due to mental disorders is high across the lifecourse – from cradle to grave. In young people, it’s a leading cause of disease. In adults, it’s second only to cardiovascular disease. And these rates of mental disorders are proving difficult to shift.
At SEED, we use the lifecourse approach to dig into the root causes of common mental disorders like depression, anxiety, addictions and violence.
Promoting pathways to mental health and wellbeing
Preventing pathways to common mental disorders
Our primary goal is to understand healthy psychological development, that support the development of next generation leaders needed to tackle the pressing issues of our time, including social inequities and climate change.
We also acknowledge that mental health in any one generation is linked to the mental health of every other generation. We take a multigenerational perspective to mental health.
What is the lifecourse approach?
Our lifecourse approach considers how every age and developmental stage shapes a person’s mental health.
At SEED, we think about how a person’s life experiences, and their social, cultural and structural context contributes to their wellbeing.