Young Carers Disproportionately Impacted by Mental Ill-Health

Financial pressure is harming wellbeing and preventing young people from accessing support. That's the key finding of a new Orygen poll, which asked over 1000 Australians for their thoughts on links between the cost of living and youth mental health. Concerningly, it found that most Australians attribute financial pressure as a key driver of deteriorating youth mental health (55%), and an overwhelming 64% feel that young people's ability to afford things has worsened in the last two years. At this free event next week, we'll be bringing policy experts and young leaders together to explore these links and unpack how tax reform could pave a better path forward. 📍 Thursday 30 April, 5:30-7:00pm AEST, Think Forward in Brunswick With Jane Body from Think Forward, Milly Bannister, Founder of ALLKND - Social & Mental Health, Alexander Dalton 🌈 from Orygen and Adriel Appathurai from Prevention United. Registrations are free but essential: https://bit.ly/4vZbLKq

It was our pleasure to welcome to Orygen the Special Envoy for Men's Health, Dan Repacholi, as the Australian Government launches the National Healthy Men Community Conversations project. The initiative aims to bring communities, researchers, service providers and advocates together to explore strategies to better support the mental, physical and social health of men and boys while encouraging help-seeking, respectful relationships and stronger connections. We know that supporting young men early, and creating healthier pathways to connection and care, is critical to improving outcomes across the lifespan, and Orygen looks forward to continuing to contribute to this project as Australia's Centre of Excellence in Youth Mental Health. Read more about the Healthy Men Community Conversations project here: https://bit.ly/48OKvUX

We're proud to share that over 20,000 young Australians have now been supported by MOST, Orygen Digital's free mental health service for people aged 12 to 25. Through therapy tools, access to mental health professionals and a safe online community, MOST connects young people with personalised, proven and effective support when and where they need it. "Every one of those 20,000 represents a life touched and a young person who found support when they needed it most," said Prof. Mario Alvarez-Jimenez, Chief of Orygen Digital. We're so grateful to everyone who's made this milestone possible – from funders including federal and state governments and the Telstra Foundation, who ensure the service is free and accessible, to our clinical, service and Primary Health Network partners, and most of all, to each of these 20,000 young people and their families for their trust. More: https://bit.ly/4hdG5Kl

Climate change is something we know will have impacts on future generations, but how are young people feeling about it right now? A new report from Orygen, using data from the 2025 Mission Australia Youth Survey of over 16,000 young people aged 15-19, tells us it’s affecting young people in complex and personal ways – and in big numbers. The report found that for 3 in every 4 young people in Australia, climate change is having a negative impact, and for some it’s severe. Further, climate change and the environment were among the top three ‘most important issues in Australia’ according to young people, along with cost of living and mental health. Our analysis found that young people fell into four impact groups – Low, Emotional, Functional and Safety – with those in the more severely impacted groups having poorer mental health and wellbeing overall. Learn more about the impact groups – and what policymakers can do to address these challenges – via the full report 👉 https://bit.ly/4wy0dOz

We've just completed a major piece of work that we hope will have a significant impact on the future of youth mental health care in Australia. Earlier this year, Orygen was commissioned by the Australian Government Department of Health, Disability and Ageing to lead a consortium of youth mental health organisations that was asked to provide advice to the federal government on the current system of services for young people aged 12 to 25, as well as potential new or refined youth mental health models of care. The consortium (listed below) consulted with hundreds of stakeholders nationwide, including 146 young people with lived experience, ensuring that the voices of those most affected helped shape the recommendations. This work sets out a clear and achievable path forward: one that recognises the urgency of reform, centres young people, and strengthens the capacity of our mental health system to respond earlier and more effectively. Read a summary + access the full reports 👉 https://bit.ly/3LPI6Rd batyr Brain and Mind Centre headspace Mission Australia ReachOut Australia SANE yourtown Youth Focus dandolopartners IPS Management Consultants Department of General Practice and Primary Care (Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences) Monash University Health Economic Group.

Lived experience is expertise, and this World Mental Health Day, we're pausing to recognise the collective wisdom that it represents – here at Orygen, and across youth mental health more broadly. This year's global theme, 'Lived experiences heard: real voices, real change' spotlights the need for lived experience to be central to the design and delivery of mental health research, services, systems, and reform. Orygen is proud of our commitment to meaningful change in youth mental health, and to fostering the transparency, accountability and action needed to realise this. Here, some of our lived experience leaders – Erika Kusli, Shona Louis, Teresa Scicluna and Rafi Armanto – reflect on what this work means to them. For more about lived experience at Orygen and the path ahead, find our 2026-28 Strategy here: https://bit.ly/4rTL7Rv

Orygen's Youth IPS Centre of Excellence has led the expansion of Individual Placement and Support in Australia for more than 20 years, and now we're proud to be playing a key role in driving growth and innovation across the Asia-Pacific region. Together with fellow members of the Asia-Pacific IPS Learning Community, Orygen led a Policy Lab that developed practical advice on how to improve local job pathways and partnerships for young people experiencing mental ill-health. The Australia-Japan Foundation has been a critical supporter of this work, and it was wonderful to recently host some of their leadership team including Chair Natsuko Ogawa (third from left) at our Parkville home. Read the Policy Lab report – Expanding IPS in the Asia-Pacific: learning from Japan – here: https://bit.ly/3RaUhL0 Pictured: Haruka Masuda, Takashi Uchino, Natsuko Ogawa from the Australia-Japan Foundation, with Orygen's Patrick McGorry, Eóin Killackey, Gina Chinnery, James Whiting and Tania Sacco.

Ahead of World Suicide Prevention Day this month, our friends & colleagues at Orygen are running a free, 1-hour training webinar for content creators. Their #chatsafe experts will be sharing advice on how to create safe online content, and how to protect their own wellbeing while spreading messages of hope, healing and help-seeking. They'll be covering:   ·               The power of safe storytelling: how content can make social media safer  ·               The risks of unsafe storytelling, and what to watch out for ·               Real examples of safe storytelling ·               A live Q&A with the #chatsafe experts    Their goal is to make social media safer for everyone. This is why they’re running this free training to help content creators be part of the change (and look after themselves while they do so).    Spreading hope: how to create social media content that supports suicide prevention   📅 September 8 2026, 2-3pm AEST 📍 Register here: https://lnkd.in/guh_TfDK   If you’re interested but can’t make this time, sign up anyway, and they can share the recording with you after the event. Amanda Third

Individual Placement and Support (IPS) is the most effective evidence-based supported employment program used in mental health services worldwide. Through the co-location and collaboration of vocational specialists and mental health teams, IPS aims to support young people experiencing mental ill-health into meaningful work and study – and it's this same goal that drives Orygen's Youth IPS Centre of Excellence. Find more via our dedicated Youth IPS Centre of Excellence website here: https://ips.orygen.org.au/ Gina Chinnery

New research led by Orygen's Michael Wilson has revealed that the advice young men receive after a breakup is often the "exact opposite" of what they actually want and need. Published this week in Qualitative Health Research, it included interviews with 22 Australian men aged 18-30, and found that while effective social support was key to recovery, they didn't always find good quality support or advice when reaching out for help. "All the young men we spoke to described receiving advice to 'thug it out' from their friends, with most being encouraged to ignore their emotional pain and find someone new immediately, rather than taking time for reflection and emotional healing," Wilson said. "While this advice is common, in many cases it is the exact opposite of the emotional support men actually want and need." More: https://bit.ly/3KK6eob