In the context of escalating impacts of climate change, bushfires have emerged as a natural disaster that may significantly impact a population's mental health. Adolescents typically residing in rural and regional areas present unique challenges in the aftermath of bushfires.

To determine the mental healthcare use of women with a police-recorded history of perpetrating intimate partner abuse, focusing on general population comparisons and characteristics of past victimisation and perpetration associated with specific service use.

Eating disorders impact physical, psychological, and social well-being, and often need complex health care. Understanding changes in healthcare utilization is essential for policy and planning. This research evaluates healthcare utilization by people with eating disorders by linking person-level data across health settings to provide a system-wide description of eating disorder care.

People with intellectual disability are disproportionately affected by mental illness, including serious mental illness. While the prevalence of mental illness in this population is well-documented, the factors associated with the onset of any mental illness and serious mental illness lack comprehensive investigation. This study aims to identify demographic, service-related and disability-related factors associated with the onset of any mental illness and serious mental illness in people with intellectual disability using a large, linked dataset in New South Wales, Australia.

This paper examines the legal meaning and clinical impact of the different harm to self and others criteria as they appear in the provisions permitting involuntary inpatient treatment in each of Australia's mental health acts. The wording of each criterion is reviewed along with relevant Court decisions, explanatory memoranda, second reading speeches and advice published by governments. Each jurisdiction's harm criterion is set out along with: the breadth of scope of the harms envisaged; how severe any harm must be to trigger the criterion; and how likely it must be that the envisaged harm will arise. The paper is designed so that readers from each jurisdiction may focus on advice relevant to their jurisdiction. In most clinical encounters where involuntary hospitalisation is proposed, the most salient harms for consideration are serious psychological harms and harms to relationships, alongside physical harm to self or others where relevant. The harm criterion sets the minimum level of harm that must be anticipated before clinicians have legal authority to provide involuntary treatment. Where a patient refuses treatment without decision-making capacity, anticipated harms must be 'serious', but only so serious as to justify overriding the patient's refusal, taking into account the harms involuntary treatment itself may cause. In such cases, whether a person can be detained and treated will hinge largely on each jurisdiction's least restrictive criterion.

People diagnosed with borderline personality disorder experience persistent functional impairment despite current evidence-based treatment. Domains of daily living functioning, such as establishing a routine, household management and self-care, can be important goals for rehabilitation. This review aimed to scope and synthesise programmes that address the daily living functioning of people diagnosed with borderline personality disorder.

To identify the barriers accessing health (including mental health) services by Indigenous people in Victoria, Australia, and putative solutions, through with 44 members of the Victorian Aboriginal community.

This study presents estimates of the prevalence, severity and correlates of mental health conditions in Australian emerging adults within geographic regions.

Cognitive difficulties are a core feature of psychotic disorders such as schizophrenia; however, the prevalence of cognitive impairment among Australians with schizophrenia is unclear. This review aimed to estimate the prevalence of cognitive impairment associated with schizophrenia in Australia and to describe methodological approaches to assessing cognition and defining cognitive impairment in the Australian schizophrenia research literature.

People with psychotic disorders face significant functional impairments, high levels of disability, multimorbidity and physical health challenges. Despite unique health benefits, resistance training remains underexplored in this population and rarely implemented in real-world mental health settings.

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer or questioning, asexual or aromantic and more (LGBTQA+) populations face disparities in health outcomes, which are particularly pronounced in relation to mental health. While psychotic disorders are associated with added barriers to treatment, they are rarely included in conversations around improving healthcare for LGBTQA+ individuals. The present study compared the healthcare experiences reported by LGBTQA+ individuals with psychotic disorders, common mental disorders (anxiety and depressive disorders) and physical health conditions.

Impulsivity, the tendency to act quickly without careful consideration, is a known risk factor and correlate of substance use and addictive disorders, including International Classification of Diseases (ICD)-11 gaming disorder (GD). The aim of this meta-analytic review was to critically evaluate associations between GD symptoms and trait impulsivity and its subtypes.

This study aimed to estimate the population prevalence of exposure to potentially traumatic events (e.g. serious accidents, physical or sexual violence and natural disasters) during childhood among Australians and examine associations between childhood potentially traumatic events and mental disorders, suicide and long-term physical health conditions.

To describe Australian trends in poisoning exposures to attention deficit hyperactivity disorder medication reported to the New South Wales Poisons Information Centre over a 10-year period.

The onset of youth suicidal ideation and behaviour is a critical predictor of future mental health. This study examines generational differences in the prevalence and age of onset for suicidal ideation, plans, self-harm, and suicide attempts by age 25 in a nationally representative Australian cohort.

Each year in Australia, tens of thousands of people living with mental illness die from preventable physical health conditions. Australia is yet to meet its 2008 commitment to provide equal healthcare for people with disabilities (Article 25, United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities). In May 2024, a national forum of 240 delegates called for urgent action to address the life expectancy gap for people living with mental illness. This article presents perspectives of forum delegates about: (1) , (2) and (3) to address this health inequity. Attendees overwhelmingly expressed the need for lived experience leadership and human rights to underpin the health system. Foundational components included respectful and inclusive practices, co-learning and co-production, a strong and integrated lived experience workforce, strategic support for reform, and societal shifts in values. Recommendations for government, advocacy bodies, services and individuals were provided, including conducting analyses of mental health legislation to align with Article 25 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities; establishing strategic lived experience leadership positions; providing workforce training on the increased risk of premature death and human rights approaches to improving healthcare equity; and taking every opportunity to advocate for physical health equality for people with mental illness. Urgent public health action is needed to incentivise and instil accountability for change, ensuring that reform efforts add power to the voices of those most impacted by mental illness and the services designed to support them.

The diagnosis and management of autism spectrum disorder is an important clinical issue for psychiatrists. However, there is a lack of research and resources to recognise this condition in older people. This condition is important to detect and diagnose because it is associated with high incidence of psychiatric comorbidity. The diagnosis helps clinicians understand the additional needs of these patients and helps families understand their additional difficulties. This paper aims to identify the studies that have been conducted on autism in the eldest and the approaches to detect and diagnose this.

Australia has a high mental illness burden, especially among young women. It is known that people in urban areas, with more education and higher incomes are more likely to use Better Access services (mental health treatment plans and psychological treatments), while those in rural areas, or with lower education or incomes, disproportionately use antidepressants. During the COVID-19 period, the Australian government increased access to mental health care. Our aim was to investigate how rurality, education level and perceived ability to manage with income influenced young women's use of mental health treatment plans, psychological treatments and antidepressants separately or in various combinations (2019-2022).

To establish the effectiveness of specialist-delivered nutrition and exercise interventions on the physical health of people with severe mental illness.

The prevalence of common mental disorders (CMDs, depression/anxiety) among Australian adolescents is increasing. Evidence is needed to inform how prevention efforts can be focused for greatest impact. This study used a compartmental model to estimate how investments could be optimally allocated across interventions to prevent CMDs in adolescents, and the corresponding health and economic benefits.