ABSTRACT
The youth mental health approach recognises the importance of understanding and appropriately responding to the full range of mental health and social needs of young people aged 12 to 25 years. Since it began in Australia, youth mental health service reform has expanded to many countries, improving access to care and the outcomes of young people with mental disorders. However, this transformation remains an area of ongoing development and refinement. There is still an urgent need for discoveries that transform the outcomes of young people and reduce the avertable burden of mental disorders on young people, families and society more broadly. This chapter explores areas in youth mental health that have achieved broad consensus and the uncertainties, challenges and opportunities that the field faces, and it proposes some key priority areas for future research.
