Is there a missing-middle in Australian mental health care?-Reference-Cited by-同舟云学术

Is there a missing-middle in Australian mental health care?

Published:2021-12-01 Issue: Volume: Page:103985622110570
ISSN:1039-8562
Container-title:Australasian Psychiatry
language:en
Short-container-title:Australas Psychiatry

Author:

Looi Jeffrey CL¹^ORCID,Kisely Stephen R²^ORCID,Allison Stephen³^ORCID,Bastiampillai Tarun⁴

Affiliation:

1. Academic Unit of Psychiatry and Addiction Medicine, The Australian National University Medical School, Canberra, ACT, Australia; Consortium of Australian-Academic Psychiatrists for Independent Policy and Research Analysis (CAPIPRA), Canberra, ACT, Australia

2. Consortium of Australian-Academic Psychiatrists for Independent Policy and Research Analysis (CAPIPRA), Canberra, ACT, Australia; School of Medicine, The University of Queensland, Woolloongabba, Brisbane, QLD, Australia; Departments of Psychiatry, Community Health and Epidemiology, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada

3. Consortium of Australian-Academic Psychiatrists for Independent Policy and Research Analysis (CAPIPRA), Canberra, ACT, Australia; College of Medicine and Public Health, Flinders University, Adelaide, SA, Australia

4. Consortium of Australian-Academic Psychiatrists for Independent Policy and Research Analysis (CAPIPRA), Canberra, ACT, Australia; College of Medicine and Public Health, Flinders University, Adelaide, SA, Australia; Department of Psychiatry, Monash University, Clayton, VIC, Australia

Abstract

Objective The term ‘missing-middle’ has been prominent in discourse relating to provision of mental health care in Australia, particularly by proponents of non-governmental youth mental health services such as headspace and related adult services. We investigate whether there is an empirical basis for use of the ‘missing-middle’ term, founded on qualitative and quantitative research. Conclusions Despite the widespread use of the term ‘missing-middle’ for advocacy in Australia, there is a lack of research characterising the epidemiological characteristics of the group. The validity of advocacy predicated on the basis of the ‘missing-middle’ care-gap should be reconsidered. Research, such as systematic service mapping and health needs assessment, is a necessary foundation for evidence-based mental healthcare policy, planning and implementation. Without such research, vital government funds may be deployed to ‘missing-middle’ programmes that may not improve Australian public health outcomes.

Publisher

SAGE Publications

Subject

Psychiatry and Mental health

Link

http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/10398562211057069

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