History
We’ve been helping young people for 30 years.
When we first began, more than three decades ago, it was clear that young people with mental ill-health needed early intervention. We began a streamed inpatient clinical research unit totally dedicated to young people along with a comprehensive psychosocial recovery program. We knew that young people facing their first episode of psychosis had unique issues and needs. They needed care designed especially for them that addressed issues unique to young people. We worked alongside their families and provided information and emotional support. For so long it was thought that having mental ill-health was a life sentence. We knew different. This is how the EPPIC (Early Psychosis Prevention and Intervention Centre) model began and that really changed the treatment landscape for young people.
Since that time we’ve never stopped.
What started as a focus on early psychosis intervention and care expanded to cover mood, personality and anxiety disorders, and major depression. We were instrumental in driving the national reform that became headspace (National Youth Mental Health Foundation).
Our history in a nutshell
1984 First episode psychosis research unit at Royal Park Hospital
1992 Early Psychosis Prevention and Intervention Centre (EPPIC) is founded
1994 Centre for Young People’s Mental Health established
1997 National Early Psychosis Project established
2001 The Colonial Foundation commits to significant long-term funding and assumes a leading role in governing a new research organisation in the fields of early intervention and youth mental health
2002 Orygen Youth Health established. This clinical program provides acute services, continuing care and psychosocial recovery for young people with mental ill-health.
2006 headspace founded
2012 The International Association for Youth Mental Health is formed and hosted at Orygen
2013 EPPIC expands nationally
2014 Orygen becomes the National Centre of Excellence in Youth Mental Health
2018 Orygen’s world-class facility opens in Parkville
2019 Orygen the National Centre of Excellence in Youth Mental Health and Orygen Youth Health reunify under the name Orygen
2023 Orygen celebrates 30 years of leading the revolution in youth mental health