Keynote

LevelMind@JC: A Youth-centre Based Platform for Early Detection and Intervention in Youth Mental Health

Session Chair:

Speakers:

Mr KWAN Chuk-fai (LevelMind@JC Steering Committee Chairman)

Prof Eric CHEN (LevelMind@JC / The University of Hong Kong)

Mr Charles CHAN (LevelMind@JC / The Boys' & Girls' Clubs Association of Hong Kong)

Date:

Time:

Location:

(With live-streaming and simultaneous interpretation)

09 June 2023 (Friday)

08:45 – 09:45

JC Cube

In order to respond to the increasing mental health challenges faced by young people and the inadequate engagement with help, targeted youth mental health programmes are needed to build platforms that are easily accessible to young people in distress. The LevelMind Project in Hong Kong explores the deployment of local youth and adolescent service centres and staffs repurposed and empowered, to provide youth-friendly engagement, screening and stratification of three early intervention pathways. The first pathway for young people at mild risk aims to enhance resilience and prevent mental health deterioration. The second pathway for young people at risk of mental disorders aims to reduce risk through low-intensity psychological intervention. The third pathway for young people with probable disorders aims to provide referrals for specialist care.

The project also uses social media and multiple referral networks to facilitate engagement. In support of the eight frontline hubs in different districts in Hong Kong, backend professional support brings psychiatric and clinical psychology input right to the forefront of engagement settings, as well as a comprehensive and rapid data system which feedback to the frontline centres to inform the status of engagement and intervention outcomes on a regular basis.

Apart from on-site work, online engagement by professionals and youth workers, leading to online low-intensity intervention was found to be particularly effective for engaging young people with higher mental health distress. Overall evaluation of the programme was conducted using a multi-method approach with real-world data being complemented by data from controlled cohorts, using propensity score matched samples. The data suggests that the programme is effective in both reducing mental health distress and risks, as well as preventing deterioration in mental health.

The Next Stage for Early Intervention: Transdiagnostic, Personalised, Universal

Session Chair:

Speaker:

Prof Eric CHEN (The University of Hong Kong)

Prof Patrick MCGORRY (Orygen / The University of Melbourne)

Date:

Time:

Location:

(With live-streaming and simultaneous interpretation)

09 June 2023 (Friday)

16:30 – 17:15

JC Cube

Early intervention in mental health has made great progress over the past 25 years through the prototype of early psychosis. Yet real world reform remains relatively piecemeal and comprehensive upscaling has not yet occurred to enable every person with psychotic illness to receive timely, personalised and sustained clinical care, in order to reach their full potential. Nevertheless, the beachhead and evidence base established by the EI paradigm in psychosis creates the conditions for this principle to be extended to the full diagnostic spectrum. EI has universal value in health care and the fluidity of our syndromal approach to diagnosis both cross-sectionally and longitudinally means that we cannot focus too narrowly. The clinical staging model may provide the framework for us to translate the principles of early intervention to a wide range of mental disorders.

New cultures of care appropriate to early intervention are needed and emerging. Through more refined prediction strategies and definition of underlying mechanisms we can also move towards the holy grail of a more personalised approach to treatment. Transdiagnostic research can be enabled if systems of care guarantee “soft entry” to new youth-oriented culture of care at the sub threshold stage, making stepwise expertise progressively available with functional recovery as the goal. We need to combine the power of the evidence-based paradigm with greater confidence, tenacity and much more intensive and professional advocacy in partnership with the general public.

Youth Epidemiology and Resilience (Year) of a Nation: in the COVID Pandemic

Session Chair:

Speaker:

Dr Stephanie WONG (The University of Hong Kong)

Prof John WONG Chee Meng (National University of Singapore)

Date:

Time:

Location:

(With live-streaming and simultaneous interpretation)

09 June 2023 (Friday)

09:45 – 10:30

JC Cube

Background Singapore is a unique multi-ethnic island state, with a rapidly changing social-cultural structure across time. The findings of a national youth mental health epidemiology study across a multi-ethnic representative Asian population can provide a robust synthesis of the national mental health narrative for the youth.

Objectives This presentation will include key findings of the first national youth mental health epidemiology survey (2020-2022), across a multi-ethnic representative Asian population.

Methods The Youth Epidemiology and Resilience (YEAR) Study comprises a two-stage nationwide screening in a randomised school-based sample and a KSAD interview with high-risk participants and controls. School-based youth from 10 to 18 years old were invited for screening through a pool of predetermined schools stratified by level, zone, and type.

Results This presentation will cover: 1. the prevalence of adolescents’ mental health problems across age and gender; and 2. the Youth Resilience Stress Scale profile of Singapore.

Conclusion The study report will highlight the key focus for new youth mental health programme development, to better support their social-emotional growth, and improve the population's mental well-being.

Open Up – The Needs, the Learnings and the Transformation

Session Chair:

Speaker:

Mr CHAN Pik-Fai (The Boys' & Girls' Clubs Association of Hong Kong)

Prof Paul YIP (The University of Hong Kong)

Date:

Time:

Location:

(With live-streaming and simultaneous interpretation)

09 June 2023 (Friday)

16:30 – 17:15

JC Cube

Suicide prevention is a pressing global issue, particularly in Hong Kong, where a series of student suicides in 2016 raised public awareness. To address this need for emotional support for young people, Open Up was created. Operated by five NGOs and HKU, and supported by HKJC, Open Up is a unique crisis intervention service due to its collaborative model, round-the-clock online service, and anonymity. It is specially designed for young people who highly value autonomy while seeking help. With over 348,000 incoming chats and more than 160,000 valid chats conducted in four years, Open Up has gained valuable experience and insights into the needs of young people. Evaluations have been conducted to establish an evidence-based and data-driven good practice model for the chat service. For example, research on optimal number of concurrent chats, the detection of premature departure, and usage patterns, issues concerned and characteristics of different user groups have been conducted. These findings are essential to drive the transformation of Open Up, an online text-based counselling service and also a youth service as a whole, itself. An important component of Open Up is the “online to offline” bridging, which refers young people in need of long-term support to suitable offline services, not only preventing future crises, but also enhancing the utilisation of youth services in Hong Kong. This is an important direction for the future development of Open Up and social services for youth in Hong Kong.

Youth Mental Health in Ireland: Data, Services and Policy

Session Chair:

Speaker:

Ms Jolene MUI (Hong Kong Metropolitan University)

Prof Barbara DOOLEY (University College Dublin)

Date:

Time:

Location:

(With live-streaming and simultaneous interpretation)

10 June 2023 (Saturday)

09:45 – 10:30

JC Cube

This presentation provides an overview of the state of youth mental health in Ireland, focusing on key aspects such as available data, existing services for young people, and relevant policies. The voice of youth was considered when reviewing policies, research data and services. The presentation aims to shed light on the current landscape and highlight areas for improvement to address the mental health challenges faced by Irish youth. By examining data trends, discussing available services, and reviewing policy initiatives, this paper underscores the importance of prioritising and enhancing youth mental health support in Ireland. Firstly, the presentation reviews existing policies and frameworks aimed at addressing youth mental health in Ireland. It examines the integration of mental health within the broader healthcare system and analyses policies related to early intervention, prevention, and awareness campaigns. The paper also explores tensions between government departments and funding allocations, and efforts to destigmatise mental health issues among young people. Available data sources are examined, including national surveys and research studies to present a comprehensive picture of youth mental health in Ireland. Mental health issues, such as anxiety, depression, and self-harm are prevalent among Irish youth. Factors influencing mental health, such as sexual orientation, sexual consent, socioeconomic status, disability, social media usage and physical health are discussed. Protective factors such as the presence of a “one good adult”, optimism, coping and resilience are also considered. Furthermore, the presentation explores the current landscape of mental health services dedicated to young people in Ireland, such as CAMHS, Jigsaw, university counselling centres, helplines and online resources such as SpunOut. The availability and accessibility of these services are considered, highlighting gaps and challenges that young people may face in accessing appropriate support.

By addressing these key areas with youth as co-creators, Ireland can strive towards fostering a mentally healthy and resilient younger generation.

Nutritional Medicine as Mainstream of Psychiatry: Omega-3 Fatty Acids (Fish Oil) in the Clinical Application of Depression in Children and Teens

Session Chair:

Speaker:

Prof David MAN (Tung Wah College)

Prof Kuan-Pin SU (China Medical University)

Date:

Time:

Location:

(With live-streaming and simultaneous interpretation)

10 June 2023 (Saturday)

16:30 – 17:15

JC Cube

Clinicians and researchers are facing a huge challenge of developing effective treatments for mental disorders despite of the advance of neurosciences. The use of pharmacotherapy for treating Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) in adolescents and children remains controversial, with the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issuing a black box warning regarding the risk of suicide with antidepressants in young people. There is growing evidence supporting the relationship between diet quality and potential nutritional deficiencies, and youth mental health. Preliminary clinical trials suggest that nutrient-based supplements may offer a judicious clinical option for treating depression.

Research indicates that omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (omega-3 or n-3 PUFAs), specifically eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), have potential preventive and therapeutic benefits for depressive disorders. The mechanisms of n-3 PUFAs include neurotransmitter regulation, anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidative effects, neuroplasticity, arachidonic acid cascade, and neuronal circuits. Although DHA is the major n-3 PUFA in the brain, EPA has demonstrated the most significant antidepressant effects. Recent studies have established that EPA enters the brain but is rapidly metabolised following entry without accumulation. Therefore, the homeostatic mechanisms of EPA and the cell signalling of its derivatives (e.g. resolvins and endocannabionids) may play important roles in EPA’s antidepressant effects.

The International Society of Nutritional Psychiatry Research (ISNPR) has published consensus statements and treatment guidelines in leading psychiatric journals to apply nutritional neuroscience research in clinical settings. The personalised application of n-3 PUFA interventions in young people with mental disorders is promising based on evidence-based medicine. This presentation addresses the need for practical recommendations of using n-3 PUFAs in young people with MDD.

Created and funded by

Int'l Conf 2022 |

Keynote

LevelMind@JC: A Youth-centre Based Platform for Early Detection and Intervention in Youth Mental Health

The Next Stage for Early Intervention: Transdiagnostic, Personalised, Universal

Youth Epidemiology and Resilience (Year) of a Nation: in the COVID Pandemic

Open Up – The Needs, the Learnings and the Transformation

Youth Mental Health in Ireland: Data, Services and Policy

Nutritional Medicine as Mainstream of Psychiatry: Omega-3 Fatty Acids (Fish Oil) in the Clinical Application of Depression in Children and Teens

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