Enhancing Mental Health in Aboriginal Children. The poor health, academic, and mental health functioning of Aboriginal children is one of Australia's major public health problems. This project will identify the specific factors that lead to these problems and empirically evaluate management programs aimed at leading to reduced violence and better mental health. This program aims to interupt the intergenerational cycle of violence and mental health problems in Australian Aborigines.
Emotion processing deficits in childhood: Risk for psychopathology and indications for clinical intervention. Mental health problems and antisocial behaviour cost Australia millions of dollars every year through the mental health and criminal justice systems. Families in rural regions of Australia are particularly disadvantaged in terms of access to clinical services. This research will examine and train emotion recognition skills and other developmental characteristics in children referred for ....Emotion processing deficits in childhood: Risk for psychopathology and indications for clinical intervention. Mental health problems and antisocial behaviour cost Australia millions of dollars every year through the mental health and criminal justice systems. Families in rural regions of Australia are particularly disadvantaged in terms of access to clinical services. This research will examine and train emotion recognition skills and other developmental characteristics in children referred for treatment for a range of behavioural and psychological disorders. Findings will lead to improvements in methods for early detection of child psychopathology with the potential for broad community implementation, and will contribute to the development of clinical protocols and treatment guidelines for early intervention and prevention. Read moreRead less
Identifying Malingered Posttraumatic Stress Disorder: Biological Markers for Legal Assessment. Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is the most common psychiatric disorder that is claimed in compensation claims in Australia. There are currently no reliable means to distinguish malingered from genuine PTSD. This project aims to develop the most accurate means of identifying malingered PTSD by using the most recent technology to index biological responses, including fMRI, in participants with PT ....Identifying Malingered Posttraumatic Stress Disorder: Biological Markers for Legal Assessment. Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is the most common psychiatric disorder that is claimed in compensation claims in Australia. There are currently no reliable means to distinguish malingered from genuine PTSD. This project aims to develop the most accurate means of identifying malingered PTSD by using the most recent technology to index biological responses, including fMRI, in participants with PTSD, without PTSD, and malingered PTSD. This study will lead to a biological assessment that can objectively index PTSD and be resistant to intentional feigning. These data will significantly enhance legal assessments of PTSD and facilitate compensation resolution.Read moreRead less
Preventing Suicide: A psychological autopsy study of the last contact with a health professional before suicide. In Australia, 48% of all suicides in 2000 were by 35-64 year olds; an additional 13% were by 65 years and over. This study will examine the last clinical contact older suicide victims had with health professionals in order to determine whether this contact offers an opportunity for intervention. For the first time in Australia, GP's, health professionals, and the deceased's next-of-ki ....Preventing Suicide: A psychological autopsy study of the last contact with a health professional before suicide. In Australia, 48% of all suicides in 2000 were by 35-64 year olds; an additional 13% were by 65 years and over. This study will examine the last clinical contact older suicide victims had with health professionals in order to determine whether this contact offers an opportunity for intervention. For the first time in Australia, GP's, health professionals, and the deceased's next-of-kin will be interviewed to determine the context surrounding the deceased's death, and the abilities of health professionals to identify warning signs and to intervene prior to suicide. Given our ageing population, the outcomes will be significant in educating all health professionals to identify suicidal signs, and to prevent premature death in the elderly.Read moreRead less