Young people make up 25% of all mental health-related presentations to the emergency department in Australia. Further, adolescent suicide-related presentations are rising.
The emergency department provides a window of opportunity to provide much needed support and intervention to young people dealing with serious mental health concerns.
We are conducting a number of studies aiming to better understand the experiences of young people presenting to the emergency department for mental health-related reasons, where there are gaps in support services, and how intervention and support can be provided to young people at this critical time.