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promoting mental health for young Australians
Australian Infant, Child, Adolescent and Family Mental Health Association Ltd
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ICCAMH Media Release

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Third International Conference on Child and Adolescent Mental Health

Media Heads Up

The Story:

People don't know what's going on in the minds of our children.

It's frightening. 12% of Australian kids have been serious about suicide. One in seven has a clearly evident mental health problem. Anxiety is common. Childhood violence is a major problem. Governments, carers and police are worried. And it's worldwide!

For the third time, the world's eminent psychologists and psychiatrists are convening at an international conference to work out what to do about it. The Third International Conference on Child and Adolescent Mental Health begins in Brisbane on June 12th.

This gives the media access to world authorities in the areas of child and adolescent mental health. And an insight into worlds where teachers and kids are attacked and depressive and conduct disorders are commonplace.

The positive is that answers are beginning to come

In Brief:

Third International Conference on Child and Adolescent Mental Health - Brisbane June 12-15 at the Sheraton Hotel.

Key topics to include:

Global epidemic of childhood/adolescent family & schoolyard violence (highly relevant to Aust.)
Effects on children of families traumatised/displaced by war & disaster (eg asylum seekers)
Climbing levels of debilitating child anxiety (also adolescent depression, suicide in Aust.)
Parental understanding of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
Preventative education for every parent - what's most effective so far (Aust. a world leader in this area).

Attended by approx. 600 of the world's leading child/adolescent psychologists, psychiatrists & other mental health professionals.

Previous summits held Hong Kong & Kuala Lumpur - now regarded as a world meeting of eminent minds & cultures on the subject.

Key media contact is Sue Pope - at The University of Queensland's Parenting and Family Support Centre - (07) 3511 5214 or 0408 438624.

Key 'broad' spokespersons are Professor Matt Sanders - Professor of Clinical Psychology at The University of Queensland, Parenting and Family Support Centre and founder of 'Triple P - Positive Parenting Program' which is now used in parenting education by governments and health industry professionals throughout the world, Mr Philip Robinson - Chair of The Australian Infant, Child, Adolescent and Family Mental Health Association and Professor Tom Ollendick - Professor of Clinical Psychology at Virginia Commonwealth University, currently conducting leading research on anxiety disorders in children.

Following:

General Release (largely for context)
Potential Angles (tip of an iceberg)
10 Quick Stats (more available on request)
Bio Briefs (by paragraph)
Program Highlights
Media Arrangements.

General Release:

Throughout the world, the mental health of children is at risk.

The trend is unmistakable and not in the least confined to war, disaster, oppression, poverty, displacement, terror or otherwise 'stricken' societies.

In Australia, credible studies suggest that at least one in seven children now have a significant psychological or behavioural disorder, and health professionals, governments, teachers, police and anyone else with constant community exposure are worried because it's clearly, quickly, becoming worse. Childhood and adolescent issues including suicide, anxiety, depression, violence, crime, problems at school and substance abuse are, in one way or another, now touching most of us. More than 15% of Australian boys have Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder - often undiagnosed. 12% of Australian adolescents actively consider suicide. More than 50% of clearly identifiable mental problems in Australian children and adolescents go untreated. Even in stable, prosperous nations, children's worlds are in vastly greater disorder than most people realise (or are prepared to accept).

In Brisbane next week, some of the world's most celebrated psychologists and other health practitioners will meet at a conference dedicated to understanding what's happening to the kids. It will be the third International Conference on Child and Adolescent Mental Health, and among topics for discussion are:

An epidemic of childhood violence in families and schools
Trauma inflicted on the children of victims of war, disaster and displacement
Climbing levels of debilitating child anxiety
Parental misreading of behaviour associated with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
Prevention through parent education.

The exchange of information, experience and ideas at this conference is critical not just to health professionals and the communities they support, but to entire nations.

For example, evidence will be presented establishing a clear link between levels of child and adolescent violence, and exposure to violent visual and verbal images through television, cinema and music - vital to policy-making in censorship. A paper that addresses the effects on children of war, disaster and displacement should be of interest to those charged with the welfare of asylum seekers.

The conference is organised by Elsevier Science in conjunction with The Australian Infant, Child, Adolescent and Family Mental Health Association (AICAFMHA), Virgina Commonwealth University, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, and the Parenting and Family Support Centre at The University of Queensland.

Potential Angles:

Professor Arthur Horne is tracking a global epidemic of violence within the family and at school. He has some jaw-dropping statistics in terms of whom, and how many, will be victims of childhood violence. And evidence that firmly locks what kids see and listen to, to the escalating levels of violence being recorded.

Professor William Yule is a world authority in Posttraumatic Stress Disorder in children - with specific application to war, disaster and displacement. He talks about how children are affected by violence aimed at themselves and their families, and the human consequences of crossing borders as asylum seekers.

Professor Charlotte Johnson is a global expert in Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and the way parents react to and deal with it - should they recognise it. She cites examples of tragic misunderstandings between parent and child.

Professor Rex Forehand is an authority on parenting education - what is working and what isn't. This is regarded as by far the most effective means of prevention and treatment of behaviour problems, yet a fraction of parents undertake any form of education, even when they know that they desperately need help. There is an excellent tie-in with the Australian-developed Triple P, positive parenting program that is crossing cultures, and being adopted by governments and health authorities throughout the world.

Professor Matt Sanders and his team at The University of Queensland Parenting and Family Support Centre report extension of their world-acclaimed, empirically proven parenting system to address the teenage years - enabling parents of teenagers to plan for and manage typical problem behaviour and risk situations.

And Australia is also represented by Dr. Paula Barrett, detailing the place of the family in cause, prevention, and treatment of childhood anxiety, and Professor Stephen Zubrick, who will close the conference with his forecasts of the future of mental health in Australian children.

These topics are among primary themes, however the level and breadth of experience and skills attracted to this conference are such that many more issues will surface and/or may be addressed at specific media request.

10 Quick Stats (Australia):

1. 14% of children and adolescents have clearly identifiable mental health problems.
2. Problems are not limited to particular age or gender groups.
3. Problems are more prevalent in lower-income, step/blend, and single parent families.
4. Delinquent behaviour, attention deficit, and aggression are the most common problems.
5. 15.4% of boys and 6.8% girls have Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
6. 4.2% of boys and 3.2% of girls have depressive disorders.
7. 4.4% of boys and 1.6% of girls have conduct disorders.
8. Teenagers with mental health problems also exhibit high rates of health risk behaviour.
9. 36.7% of adolescents drink alcohol, 23.1% smoke.
10. 12% of adolescents actively consider suicide.

Bio Briefs:

Professor William Yule:

Professor Yule is one of the foremost experts in the study of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder in both adults and children. He has devoted more than 15 years to researching the effects on children of war and disasters, publishing more than 300 articles and 12 books. Working from the Institute of Psychiatry at the University of London, Professor Yule is an advisor to UNICEF and was Technical Director of a major program developing services for children in Mostar, Bosnia. He is also a founding Board Member of the Foundation for Children and War.

Professor Rex Forehand:

Having published more than 350 journal articles and book chapters, Dr. Forehand is one of the most frequently cited authors in psychology, and internationally celebrated for his research into child behavioural problems and the role of the family environment. Dr. Forehand is Regents Professor of Clinical Psychology at the University of Georgia and holder of the American Psychological Association's Award for Outstanding Contributions to Child Clinical Psychology.

Professor Arthur Horne:

Professor Horne is a world authority on reduction strategies for violence in schools, and currently involved with two major studies in the USA - the six year 'ACT Early' Program funded by the US Department Office of At Risk Children and the 'Great Schools and Families' Program funded by the Centre for Disease Control.

Professor Charlotte Johnston:

Professor Johnston has received numerous awards and professional distinctions for groundbreaking research in Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. She is currently continuing research at the University of British Columbia in ADHD classroom strategies, and strategies for dealing with difficult child behaviour.

Dr Paula Barrett:

Dr Barrett is an internationally recognised research pioneer and one of the world's foremost experts in the treatment of childhood anxiety. Dr Barrett's work lead to the publication of the world's first family treatment control trial for childhood anxiety and in 1999, she published the FRIENDS program now recognised worldwide as the best practice for the treatment of anxiety and depression in children and adolescents. Dr Barrett is Senior Lecturer at Griffith University and a prime investigator for various university research grants.

Professor Stephen Zubrick:

Professor Zubrick is head of Australia's Division of Population Sciences and Professor at the Centre for Developmental Health at the TVW Telethon Institute for Child Health Research.

Professor Matt Sanders:

Professor Sanders is founder of the Parenting and Family Support Centre at The University of Queensland's School of Psychology, and the internationally acclaimed Triple P parenting system - now employed in countries including the USA, UK, Germany, Switzerland, Hong Kong, Singapore and New Zealand. Triple P has been developed through clinical trials over 25 years and is unique as a parenting tool in that its outcomes are empirically proven. With colleague, Associate Professor Alan Ralph, Professor Sanders has recently extended Triple P to provide strategies and resources for the parents of teenagers.

Program Highlights:

Day One
Wednesday 12th June
8.00am Registration/ conference open
8.30am Opening Ceremony: Federal Minister for Health and Ageing, Senator The Hon Kay Patterson and a welcome address by Queensland Minister for Health, the Hon Wendy Edmond MP.
1.00pm Keynote 1 - Professor Rex Forehand: Behavioural parent training: Accomplishments, challenges, and promises
6.30pm Welcome Reception
7.30pm Close

Day Two
Thursday 13th June
8.00am Registration/conference open.
8.30am Keynote 2 - Dr Paula Barrett: Child internalizing disorders: State of the art prevention and intervention trials
1.00pm Keynote 3 - Professor William Yule: Working with children affected by war and disasters
6.30pm Close

Day Three
Friday 14th June
8.00am Registration/conference open.
8.30am Keynote 4 - Professor Charlotte Johnston: Parental expectations and attributions for parent-child interactions: Implications for parenting.
1.00pm Keynote 5 - Professor Arthur M. Horne: Reducing violence and aggression in families and schools: The GREAT schools and families program.
Evening: Conference Dinner: Brisbane Exhibition Centre

Day Four
Saturday 15th June
8.00am Registration/conference open.
11.00am Keynote 6 - Professor Stephen R. Zubrick: Forecasting the mental health futures of Australian children: Advances in epidemiology and prevention science.
12.00pm Closing Ceremony

Media Arrangements:

The key media contact is Sue Pope.
Sue works for The University of Queensland's, Parenting and Family Support Centre - (07) 3511 5214 or 0408 438 624.
Throughout the conference, she is available to set up interviews and make whatever other arrangements are required, including provision of illustrative video to television media.

Media representatives may wish to:

Interview Professor Matt Sanders prior to the event, for a broad view of the state of child and adolescent mental health - key issues, crises and advances in Australia or globally. Professor Sanders is based in Brisbane where he is available in person, or telephone interviews can be arranged.
Prepare a feature or current affairs piece on any of a wide variety of topical issues to be addressed at the conference. In this case, Sue can assist with background, the arrangement of extended interview time with the relevant person, and if appropriate, support interviews with related authorities (eg local relevance to an international outlook).
Attend the opening ceremony to be addressed by Federal and State Ministers. Given that 12% of Australian children have seriously considered suicide it will be interesting to hear their views. You will need to work with their individual press secretaries for speech notes etc (Sue has the contacts if you need them). And she can arrange early private access to the conference room should you need to set up.
Interview one of the keynote speakers we have profiled. No problem. Sue can arrange a private room for interviews straight after their presentations. Or if you want one-on-ones at any point, she will endeavour to set it up to suit.

You are welcome to record proceedings as they happen (remembering that conferences of this nature are conducted in indecipherable academic-speak).

Please give Sue a call if you're intending to look at story options. She will be delighted to help.