Care planning for recovery and to work towards hospital discharge is integral to good practice in mental health in-patient settings. Authorised leave from hospital, especially for those who are detained, can be used to check readiness for discharge and to maintain social connections that support a patient’s recovery journey. Leave therefore often involves friends and family, or ‘carers’. However, carer involvement in planning leave is limited, and carers struggle with feeling unsupported during the leave.

This study aimed to explore carers’ and mental health practitioners’ subjective experiences of leave in the context of implementing a set of practice guidelines for involving carers in planning and undertaking leave from hospital.

Nine wards in six National Health Service trusts were recruited to implement the guidelines. Interviews were undertaken with carers (n = 6) and practitioners (n = 3) from these implementation wards and with carers (n = 7) from nine usual care wards. A further ten practitioners completed an anonymous online survey. Data were analysed thematically.

Carers’ experiences on both implementation and usual care wards indicated variable levels of involvement, with carers positioned as partners in care, observers of care or outsiders to care. Practitioner perspectives highlighted practical, structural and conceptual challenges in working with carers, which precluded effective implementation of the guidelines.

The guidelines reflected what both carers and practitioners described as good practice, but resource limitations, unclear responsibilities and perceptions of carer roles limited engagement. Implementing approaches to working with carers in in-patient settings requires resourcing and clear role definition within staff–carer relationships.

Developing integrated mental health services focused on the needs of children and young people is a key policy goal in England. The THRIVE Framework and its implementation programme, i-THRIVE, are widely used in England. This study examines experiences of staff using i-THRIVE, estimates its effectiveness, and assesses how local system working relationships influence programme success.

This evaluation uses a quasi-experimental design (10 implementation and 10 comparison sites.) Measurements included staff surveys and assessment of ‘THRIVE-like’ features of each site. Additional site-level characteristics were collected from health system reports. The effect of i-THRIVE was evaluated using a four-group propensity-score-weighted difference-in-differences model; the moderating effect of system working relationships was evaluated with a difference-in-difference-in-differences model.

Implementation site staff were more likely to report using THRIVE and more knowledgeable of THRIVE principles than comparison site staff. The mean improvement of fidelity scores among i-THRIVE sites was 16.7, and 8.8 among comparison sites; the weighted model did not find a statistically significant difference. However, results show that strong working relationships in the local system significantly enhance the effectiveness of i-THRIVE. Sites with highly effective working relationships showed a notable improvement in ‘THRIVE-like’ features, with an average increase of 16.41 points (95% confidence interval: 1.69–31.13, P-value: 0.031) over comparison sites. Sites with ineffective working relationships did not benefit from i-THRIVE (−2.76, 95% confidence interval: − 18.25–12.73, P-value: 0.708).

The findings underscore the importance of working relationship effectiveness in the successful adoption and implementation of multi-agency health policies like i-THRIVE.

Hong Kong’s 3-year dynamic zero-COVID policy has caused prolonged exposure to stringent, pervasive anti-epidemic measures, which poses additional stressors on emotional well-being through pandemic fatigue, beyond the incumbent fear of the pandemic.

To investigate how major policy shifts in the zero-COVID strategy have corresponded with changing relationships between emotional well-being, pandemic fatigue from policy adherence, and pandemic fear, following the pandemic peak to a living-with-COVID policy.

A three-wave repeated cross-sectional study (N = 2266) was conducted on the Chinese working-age population (18–64 years) during the peak outbreak (Wave 1), and subsequent policy shifts towards a living-with-COVID policy during the initial relaxation (Wave 2) and full relaxation (Wave 3) of anti-epidemic measures from March 2022 to March 2023. Non-parametric tests, consisting of robust analysis of covariance tests and quantile regression analysis, were performed.

The severity of all measures was lowered after Wave 1; however, extreme pandemic fears reported in Wave 2 (n = 38, 7.7%) were associated with worse emotional well-being than the pandemic peak (Wave 1), which then subsided in Wave 3. Pandemic fatigue posed greater negative emotional well-being in Wave 1, whereas pandemic fear was the dominant predictor in Waves 2 and 3.

Pandemic fatigue and pandemic fear together robustly highlight the psychological cost of prolonged pandemic responses, expanding on a framework for monitoring and minimising the unintended mental health ramifications of anti-epidemic policies.

The cumulative effects of long-term exposure to pandemic-related stressors and the severity of social restrictions may have been important determinants of mental distress in the time of COVID-19.

This study aimed to investigate mental health among a cohort of Chinese university students over a 28-month period, focusing on the effects of lockdown type.

Depression, anxiety, stress and fear of COVID-19 infection were measured ten times among 188 Chinese students (females 77.7%, meanage = 19.8, s.d.age = 0.97), every 3 months: from prior to the emergence of COVID-19 in November 2019 (T1) to March 2022 (T10).

Initially depression, anxiety and stress dipped from T1 to T2, followed by a sudden increase at T3 and a slow upward rise over the remainder of the study period (T3 to T10). When locked down at university, participants showed greater mental distress compared with both home lockdown (d = 0.35–0.48) and a no-lockdown comparison period (d = 0.28–0.40). Conversely, home lockdown was associated with less anxiety and stress (d = 0.19 and 0.21, respectively), but not with depression (d = 0.13) compared with a no-lockdown period.

This study highlights the cumulative effects of exposure to COVID-19 stressors over time. It also suggests that the way in which a lockdown is carried out can impact the well-being of those involved. Some forms of lockdown appear to pose a greater threat to mental health than others.

This study described the development and assessment of the psychometric properties of the Dissociation-Integration of Self-States Scale (D-ISS). This is a new scale to assess dissociation at the ‘between modes’ or self-state (personality) level. The D-ISS is rooted in cognitive behavioural theory and designed to measure between-mode dissociation (dissociation between self-states) in clinical practice and research.

Study 1: D-ISS scale items were generated and then answered by 344 young adults (16–25 years) who reported experiencing stressful times. An exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was conducted and the results were used to refine the scale to 25 items.

Study 2: The final 25-item D-ISS was completed by 383 adults (18–65 years) who reported experiencing mental health difficulties. A confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was conducted using the second dataset. Internal consistency, test–retest reliability, convergent validity and divergent validity of the final D-ISS was assessed.

Study 1: The EFA showed a clear 5-factor solution, which was used to refine the D-ISS to a total of 25 items with five items in each factor.

Study 2: The 5-factor solution from Study 1 was confirmed as a good fit by the CFA using the data collected in Study 2. The D-ISS demonstrated good internal reliability and test–retest reliability. The D-ISS showed no correlations with divergent scales. For convergent validity, the D-ISS showed moderate correlations with the Dissociative Experiences Scale (DES-II).

The new D-ISS measure of between-mode dissociation is reliable and valid for the population represented by our sample. Further research into its use in clinical populations is required.

1. (1) To understand and be able to use a new measure of dissociation at the personality or self-states level.

2. (2) To understand the cognitive behavioural model of dissociation.

3. (3) To understand the theoretical underpinnings of the scale, in terms of the effects of childhood and adult adversity and other factors on psychological development.

4. (4) To consider the potential clinical and research applications of the scale.

5. (5) To appreciate the limitations of the research so far and the nature of future research required.

Depression is a growing mental health concern among university students worldwide, including in Thailand. Studies show that between 17 and 40% of Thai university students experience depressive symptoms, although these studies often focus on specific groups and use different measures.

This study aimed to investigate the prevalence and associated factors of depressive disorders among university students across Thailand.

Data were collected with the HAPPINOMETER and the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 scale as part of a nationwide cross-sectional survey. A total of 14 621 students from 33 universities participated in the survey. A series of binary logistic regression analyses were performed to examine the effect of sociodemographic characteristics and health behaviours on the presence of depression.

The results revealed that 31.4% of students experienced depressive symptoms, with 14.2% having major depressive disorder. The students who identified as non-binary had the highest odds of having depression (adjusted odds ratio 2.10, 95% CI 1.7–2.6, P < 0.001). Other specific subgroups were also found to be particularly vulnerable, including women, fourth-year students and those studying in Bangkok, without part-time jobs, living alone and engaging in risky health behaviours like smoking, heavy drinking and poor diet.

The findings underscore the need for comprehensive mental health support and targeted interventions within Thai universities, especially for at-risk subpopulations. Leveraging the existing collaborative networks among Thai universities presents a unique opportunity to mount a coordinated effort in developing and implementing comprehensive mental health strategies tailored to the needs of this vulnerable population.

Asylum seekers have difficulty gaining access to mental healthcare. Lack of understanding of asylum seekers’ mental illness explanatory models appears to be an important barrier. Gaining a better understanding of these explanatory models is crucial for ensuring the inclusion of asylum seekers in healthcare services. The Cultural Formulation Interview (CFI) might help to explore asylum seekers’ explanatory models of mental illness.

To analyse asylum seekers’ explanatory models as elicited by the CFI.

The CFI and its first supplementary module were carried out with asylum seekers with mental health problems. Transcriptions of the interviews underwent reflexive thematic analysis within a social constructivist framework.

In the analysis of 25 illness narratives, three major themes characterising asylum seekers’ explanatory models were identified: a burden of the past, a disenabling current reality, and a personal position and individual experience.

The interplay among pre-, peri- and post-migration experiences, having a continuous impact on asylum seekers’ mental health, was highlighted by the themes ‘a burden of the past’, and ‘a disenabling current reality’. The theme ‘a personal position and individual experience’ revealed how the CFI enables self-determination in clinical encounters by embracing uncertainty and questioning the medicalisation of distress. The analysis characterises asylum seekers’ symptoms as a personal idiom of distress within socio-relational contexts. The CFI provides a clinically useful framework for exploring asylum seekers’ explanatory models and fostering dynamic understanding.

Childhood and adolescence are vulnerable periods for mental disorders, and the COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated mental health challenges in this population. We aimed to estimate changes in the global burden of mental disorders among children and adolescents before and during the pandemic.

Using data from the Global Burden of Diseases Study 2021, we analyzed incidence, prevalence, and years lived with disability (YLDs) for mental disorders in individuals aged 5–24. Annual percent changes in age-standardized rates were calculated, and a Bayesian age–period–cohort model estimated the expected and additional burden based on pre-pandemic trends.

In 2021, an estimated 123.0 million new cases of mental disorders were reported among children and adolescents, with an 11.8% average annual increase in the age-standardized incidence rate during the pandemic. Anxiety disorders, which previously ranked third, became the leading cause of nonfatal disability (12.9 million [8.0–19.3] YLDs), while depressive disorders rose to fourth place (10.9 million [6.8–16.5] YLDs). The burden grew in most regions, especially among females, those aged 15–24, and in high sociodemographic index (SDI) areas. Based on pre-pandemic data, we estimated an additional burden of 795.0, 165.9, and 622.8 new cases per 100,000 population for total mental disorders, anxiety disorders, and depressive disorders globally in 2021, respectively. Spearman correlation analysis showed a significant positive correlation between additional burden and SDI levels.

These findings highlight the increased burden of mental disorders among children and adolescents during the pandemic, emphasizing the need for targeted post-pandemic mental health support.

A large proportion of applicants for asylum in the UK are housed in contingency hotels while awaiting the outcome of their claim. As the prevalence of severe mental illness (SMI) among asylum seekers is estimated to be around 61%, a measurable impact on mental health services local to these hotels might be expected.

To evaluate the proportion of asylum seekers on the caseload of a crisis mental health team serving an area with a high concentration of contingency hotels, and to briefly explore the care needs of this population.

Retrospective cross-sectional analysis of all referrals to the Hounslow Crisis Assessment and Home Treatment Team (HCAHTT) in London, UK, between 1 April and 30 September 2023.

Of the 718 referrals to HCAHTT, 536 were taken on the caseload, of whom 9 were asylum seekers. No difference was found in the proportion of asylum seekers on the caseload compared with the general population. Asylum seekers were often moved at short notice, over half required an interpreter and all 9 had a history of trauma.

Asylum seekers housed in Hounslow are not over-represented on the HCAHTT caseload compared with the general population. Given that higher rates of SMI in the asylum seeker population are well-established, this result is more likely to be due to systemic factors than to represent an unusually low rate of asylum seekers experiencing SMI. Asylum seekers tended to require interpretation services and have high rates of reported trauma. Continuity of care is affected by the asylum accommodation process. Better active outreach to vulnerable populations to raise awareness of services might be required.

Epidemiological evidence shows a concerning rise in youth mental health difficulties over the past three decades. Most evidence, however, comes from countries in Europe or North America, with far less known about changes in other global regions. This study aimed to compare adolescent mental health across two population-based cohorts in the UK, and two population-based cohorts in Pelotas, Brazil.

Four population-based cohorts with identical mental health measures were compared. In Brazil, these included the 1993 Pelotas Birth Cohort and the 2004 Pelotas Birth Cohort. In the UK, cohorts included the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children, and the Millennium Cohort Study. Mental health was measured in all cohorts using identical, parent-rated scores from the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ). This was assessed in both countries over approximately the same time periods, when adolescents were aged 11 (2004 vs 2015 in Brazil, and 2003 vs 2012 in the UK), with follow-up analyses focused on outcomes in later adolescence.

Mental health problems were higher in the UK for adolescents born in the early 2000s compared to those born in the early 1990s. In Pelotas, the opposite was found, whereby problems were lower for adolescents born in the early 2000s compared to those born in the early 1990s. Despite these promising reductions in mental health problems in Pelotas over time, SDQ scores remained higher in Pelotas compared to the UK.

Our study represents the first to compare two population-based cohorts in the UK, and two population-based cohorts in Pelotas, Brazil, to understand how mental health problems have changed over time across the two settings. Our findings provide the most up-to-date insight into population-level rates of youth mental health problems in Pelotas, and shed novel insight into how these have changed over the last two decades in comparison to the UK. In doing so, our study provides a tentative first step towards understanding youth mental health over time at a more global scale, and presents a valuable opportunity to examine putative contributors to differences across time.

The high level of psychological distress in young people is a growing concern. However, there are few national surveys that describe the trajectories of mental health and wellbeing through adolescence into early adulthood. Further, existing research has largely focused exclusively on mental ill-health, with little focus on positive mental health. This study provides the first national profile of the mental health and wellbeing of Australians aged 12–25 years.

Participants completed the National Youth Mental Health survey in 2018 (n1 = 3832), 2020 (n2 = 974) or 2022 (n3 = 961). We applied Keyes’ Complete Mental Health (CMH) framework to derive categories of mental health and wellbeing, and examine rates of CMH over time, by age and gender.

While approximately half of those surveyed reported flourishing (high wellbeing without mental illness), rates of flourishing declined between 2018 and 2022. Rates of flourishing generally decreased with age, and flourishing was more prevalent amongst males than females.

The findings provide a unique contrast of youth mental health pre-, during and post- the COVID-19 pandemic. While rates of psychological distress are consistently high, the proportion of youth reporting flourishing highlights the need to consider all aspects of psychological functioning to accurately understand and respond to the mental health needs of young people.

In 2017, the World Health Organization introduced an international standardized medical data collection tool for disasters, known as the Emergency Medical Team (EMT) Minimum Data Set (MDS). The EMT MDS was activated for the first time in 2019 in response to Cyclone Idai in Mozambique. The present study aimed to examine the daily and phase trends in acute mental health problems identified by international EMTs during their response to Cyclone Idai and reported using the EMT MDS.

Joinpoint regression analysis was used to examine daily trends in acute mental health consultations. Trends were also examined by phases, which were identified using joinpoints.

During the 90-day EMT response period following Cyclone Idai, 94 acute mental health consultations were reported. The daily trend analysis showed a significant increase in the daily number and percentage of acute mental health consultations from response onset until day 13, followed by a gradual decline (P<0.05). The phase trend analysis showed a consistent decrease across the identified phases (P for trend<0.001).

The findings of this study provide insight into the need for mental health support in the immediate aftermath of natural disasters and how that need may change over time.

Depression and anxiety are widespread globally, with significant treatment gaps in low-resource settings. In Pakistan, where prevalence is high and specialists are scarce, brief psychological interventions by trained lay counsellors show promise. DIALOG+ is a novel technology-assisted, solution-focused approach for leveraging resource-oriented approaches in routine community mental health treatment.

To explore the feasibility and acceptability of using DIALOG+ for community-based treatment of common mental disorders delivered by non-specialist lay counsellors in a low-resource setting (trial registration: ISRCTN14528579).

An open, uncontrolled trial in community settings in Karachi, Pakistan, was conducted with 40 patients with depression and anxiety visiting two primary care clinics between June 2019 and February 2020. Patients were enrolled for monthly sessions delivered over 6 months by lay counsellors. Subjective quality of life along with symptoms of depression and anxiety were measured at baseline and endline (following the 6-month intervention) on the Manchester Short Assessment of Quality of Life (MANSA) and Aga Khan University Anxiety and Depression Scale (AKUADS). Changes in measures were evaluated before and after the intervention using a t-test analysis. Post-intervention, in-depth interviews were held with patients and lay counsellors to gather insights into their experience of the intervention.

In total, 146 DIALOG+ sessions were conducted with 40 patients. At the 6-month post-intervention assessment, 33 patients showed improved subjective quality of life and reduced self-reported depression and anxiety scores. Patients reported that the intervention helped strengthen the therapeutic relationship with their lay counsellors, helped them track their progress through therapy and enhanced their self-management of negative emotions and behaviours.

Structured communication can help strengthen lay counsellors’ ability to improve therapeutic outcomes of people with common mental disorders in resource-constrained community settings. Future clinical trials are recommended to further evaluate the long-term impact of the DIALOG+ intervention on mental health outcomes.