News And Events

The world’s largest mental health research organisation, The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) in the United States, has announced that it will provide Orygen, The National Centre of Excellence in Youth Mental Health $6.6 million (USD) to work in partnership on a ground-breaking new research study into treatment strategies for young people at risk of developing a serious mental illness.
 
This new study will build on the world-leading research conducted at Orygen into the ‘clinical high risk state’, a classification that has been shown to reliably predict the onset of psychosis in young people. This study aims to establish better ways to identify young people who are at risk of developing any serious mental illness and how best to treat them before their illness becomes established. It is the first large-scale investigation to blend basic biological and clinical research in one study for young people, and is only possible due to our unique youth mental health infrastructure here in Australia.
 
Professor Patrick McGorry AO, Executive Director of Orygen is excited to commence this landmark research partnership and sees it as a significant recognition of Australia’s leading position in youth mental health, ‘the NIMH has recognised the importance of improving treatments for young people in the early stages of mental ill-health, and with the clinical-research base made possible by the Australian Government’s major investments in Orygen, The National Centre of Excellence in Youth Mental Health and headspace, Australia is the only country equipped to deliver on these kinds of research opportunities.’    
 
‘Australia’s youth mental health infrastructure is leading the world and the clinical research partnership between Orygen and headspace has the potential to deliver crucial new knowledge that will lead to improve outcomes for young people with mental ill-health, their families and friends,’ he said.    
   
The NIMH is the largest scientific organisation in the world dedicated to mental health research. Its mission is to transform the understanding and treatment of mental illnesses through basic and clinical research, paving the way for prevention, recovery and cure.
 
Orygen operates the world’s largest youth mental health research program and is funded by the Australian Government to provide training and skill development to the national youth mental health workforce. Orygen also operates four headspace sites in Melbourne and runs the headspace Centre of Excellence, which conducts research into the development of better treatments for young people with mental ill-health.