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The article discusses the controversy surrounding the TV series "13 Reasons Why" and its potential impact on adolescent suicide rates. The series, which portrays the suicide of a teenage girl and the factors that led to it, received criticism from suicide prevention organizations for its potential to trigger contagion effects. Several studies have reported detrimental effects of the series on suicide rates, suicide attempts, self-harm presentations, and suicidal ideation among young people. The article responds to a critique of these studies, arguing that the critique did not provide valid evidence to cast doubt on the previous findings. The authors emphasize the need for entertainment media to follow best practices in suicide portrayals and raise awareness about their role in suicide prevention. [Extracted from the article]

Objective: This review aimed to evaluate the association between childhood adiposity and depression and anxiety risk in adulthood. Methods: MEDLINE, PsychInfo, Embase, CINAHL, and Scopus were searched on June 6, 2022, to identify studies that investigated the association between childhood weight status (age ≤18 years) and outcomes of depression and/or anxiety in adulthood (age ≥19 years). Study quality was assessed using the Newcastle‐Ottawa Scale and results were narratively synthesized. Results: Sixteen studies were eligible for inclusion, with heterogeneity in methods and follow‐up durations complicating comparisons. Six out of eight studies found a statistically significant association between childhood adiposity and increased likelihood of depression in adulthood, particularly in females. However, overall evidence was of moderate quality and study limitations prevented causal conclusions. In contrast, limited evidence and mixed findings were reported for the associations between childhood adiposity and depressive symptom severity or anxiety outcomes in adulthood. Conclusions: Evidence suggests that childhood adiposity is associated with greater vulnerability to depression in adulthood, particularly in females. However, further research is warranted to address the limitations discussed. Future research should also explore how changes in weight status from childhood to adulthood might differentially influence the likelihood of depression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: This review aimed to evaluate the effects of weight change from childhood to adulthood on depression and/or anxiety risk in adulthood. We systematically searched MEDLINE, PsychINFO, Embase, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature, and Scopus for longitudinal studies assessing changes in weight status between childhood (≤18 years) and adulthood (≥19 years) in association with outcomes of depression and/or anxiety in adulthood. Study quality was assessed using a modified version of the Newcastle‐Ottawa Scale, and data were narratively synthesized. Seventeen articles met our inclusion criteria: 13 evaluated outcomes of depression, one evaluated outcomes of anxiety, and five evaluated composite measures of depression and anxiety. Evidence was most consistent regarding outcomes of depression, with most finding that persistent and/or increasing adiposity from childhood to adulthood is associated with an increased risk of depression, particularly in women. However, heterogeneity and limitations in the evidence preclude definitive conclusions and inconsistent findings were reported in the few studies that assessed anxiety and composite outcomes. Overall, it appears that early intervention to both prevent or resolve excess weight may aid in reducing the burden of depression, along with mental health support targeting adolescents with persistent and/or increasing adiposity. However, further high‐quality research is needed to address the methodological limitations discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Media guidelines for the responsible reporting of suicide are a recognized universal suicide prevention intervention. While implemented in numerous countries, including Australia, little is known about whether they are cost‐effective. We aimed to determine the cost‐effectiveness of Mindframe, the national initiative implementing media guidelines in Australia. Method: We conducted a modelled economic evaluation (5‐year time‐horizon) incorporating two types of economic analysis: (i) return‐on‐investment (ROI) comparing estimated cost savings from the intervention to the total intervention cost, and (ii) cost‐effectiveness analysis comparing the net intervention costs to health outcomes: suicide deaths prevented and quality‐adjusted life‐years (QALYs). We also included uncertainty analyses to propagate parameter uncertainty and sensitivity analyses to test the robustness of the model outputs to changes in input parameters and assumptions. Results: The estimated ROI ratio for the main analysis was 94:1 (95% uncertainty interval [UI]: 37 to 170). The intervention was associated with cost savings of A$596M (95% UI: A$228M to A$1,081M), 139 (95% UI: 55 to 252) suicides prevented and 107 (95% UI: 42 to 192) QALYs gained. The intervention was dominant, or cost‐saving, compared with no intervention with results being robust to sensitivity analysis but varying based on the conservativeness of the parameters entered. Conclusion: Mindframe was found to be cost‐saving, and therefore, worthy of investment and inclusion as part of national suicide prevention strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: In the United States, there was an increase in calls to helplines following media reporting of Robin Williams' suicide. We aimed to determine whether this was the case in Australia. Method: The helpline services Lifeline and Beyond Blue provided us with weekly data on calls received for 2013–2015. We conducted interrupted time series regression analyses to determine whether there was an increase in the average weekly number of calls received by each helpline in two periods after the story about Williams' suicide broke (1 week and 4 weeks). Results: We found strong evidence of an increase in calls to Lifeline (incidence rate ratio [IRR] =1.13; 95% confidence interval [CI] =1.02–1.25; p = 0.016) and Beyond Blue (IRR = 1.32; 95% CI = 1.09–1.59; p = 0.004) in the week after Williams' suicide was first reported. We found no evidence of higher than normal call volumes for Lifeline (IRR = 1.04; 95% CI = 0.99–1.10; p = 0.104) or Beyond Blue (IRR = 1.10; 95% CI = 1.00–1.22; p = 0.058) over the four weeks following Williams' death, however, suggesting that calls leveled out over this period. Conclusion: Suicide prevention experts and media professionals must work together to minimize the negative impacts of reports on suicide and maximize their positive ones. In cases where the story is likely to receive extensive international coverage, it may be important for local media to encourage help‐seeking. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To assess the impact of the "Pause. Call. Be Heard" campaign on help-seeking and suicidal behaviors within rail environment in Victoria, Australia.Methods: An anonymous online survey was conducted to measure noticeability of and engagement with the campaign and help-seeking intentions and behaviors among rail commuters at 10 rail stations. We generated descriptive statistics to report these data and used logistic regression models to examine the association between campaign-related factors and help-seeking. Changes in Lifeline crisis calls and rail suicide behaviors from precampaign to campaign periods were examined using proportion tests.Results: About 25% of rail commuters noticed the campaign and rated the materials as "moderately noticeable." Over half of these individuals correctly identified the campaign intentions and 75% engaged with the materials. Approximately 80% indicated that the materials increased their help-seeking intentions and about half indicated that they had engaged with help-seeking and/or self-caring behaviors. Engaging with the campaign was positively associated with help-seeking. A significant increase in crisis calls but not in suicide-related calls, and a nonsignificant decrease in rail suicidal behaviors were found during the campaign period.Conclusions: Continued implementation of the campaign is warranted as it showed some desirable effects on help-seeking among rail commuters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: We aimed to identify Australian adults' current level of confidence and intentions to help a person close to them in distress or at risk of suicide to inform the content and targeting of suicide prevention messages aimed at family and friends of those at risk.Methods: We conducted a nationally representative computer-assisted telephone survey of confidence and intentions to help someone in distress or at risk of suicide (n = 3,002). We used logistic regression to determine whether sociodemographic and exposure variables predicted confidence and intentions to help.Results: Confidence to help was high. About half of the respondents had intentions inconsistent with best practice. Listening and talking, and encouraging the person to seek professional help were the most common types of intended helping actions. Intentions to ask suicide risk assessment questions were least common. Men were more likely than women to have intentions to carry out nonrecommended actions, and less likely to have intentions to carry out recommended actions.Conclusions: Suicide prevention messaging aimed at family and friends could encourage them to ask direct questions about suicide risk and could include messages about "what not to do." Suicide prevention messages aimed specifically at men are indicated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Issue Addressed: Men dominate the suicide statistics and are less likely than women to seek help for emotional problems, and this has been linked to aspects of stoic masculinity. Promoting help-seeking and challenging stoic thinking may help to address this problem, but it is unclear what works in engaging men in these topics.Methods: We developed a multimedia intervention called Man Up - including a documentary and digital campaign. We tested promotional materials and the website by interviewing 17 men from different ages and backgrounds about their perceptions, and asked them whether the materials generated interest in the topics of the documentary.Results: Participants preferred visual materials that were relatable to them and included active and direct language. This helped them to understand and identify with the messages being imparted. Participants had mixed views on talking about masculinity and the use of the term "man up," with some expressing interest and others being deterred by it. Sharing content about mental health and suicide was seen by some as a risk to personal reputation and their relationships with others.Conclusions: Our findings informed the design of targeted materials for the national Man Up campaign and website which were then used in a multilevel national health promotion intervention in Australia. SO WHAT?: Our study provided valuable insights beyond Man Up for those seeking to design and deliver health promotion interventions targeting Australian men and engage in sensitive and stigmatised male health issues. Using active and empowering language was especially important when addressing men which contrasts with many promotional materials currently available. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Issue Addressed: A website was designed to form the core of a multimedia strategy surrounding the Man Up documentary - a three-part documentary that aimed to address the problem of male suicide in Australia. Together these formed a media-based, public health intervention that explored the link between masculinity and suicide and promoted help-seeking. This is of great importance given the demonstrated link between masculine norms, men's reduced help-seeking and suicidal thinking. This study assesses the website's effectiveness in facilitating help-seeking and fostering conversations about suicide, mental health and help-seeking. Help-seeking indicators included website clicks to helping organisations, downloads of health information from the website and request for help received via emails.Methods: Google Analytics data, emails to the Man Up team received through the website and open-ended responses to an online survey were analysed.Results: The website reached 43 140 users. Indictors of help-seeking activity on the website included 307 outbound clicks to helping organisations and 802 downloads of health information. Qualitative analysis of emails received and responses to the survey demonstrated that Man Up's messages resonated with viewers and provided further evidence of help-seeking.Conclusion: The findings demonstrate that the website provided an important opportunity for people to engage with Man Up and seek help. SO WHAT?: Media-based public health interventions offer enormous potential to provide suicide prevention interventions and promote help-seeking. The website evaluation findings provide insight into the ways in which websites can be used as part of a multimedia strategy to address the problem of male suicide. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Pesticide ingestion is among the most commonly utilized means of suicide worldwide. Restricting access to pesticides at a local level is one strategy to address this major public health problem, but little is known about its effectiveness. We therefore conducted a systematic literature review to identify effective community-based suicide prevention approaches that involve restricting access to pesticides.Method: We searched Embase, Scopus, PsycINFO, Cochrane Library, CINAHL, and PubMed for well-designed studies that reported on suicide-related outcomes (i.e., attempted or completed suicide).Results: We identified only five studies that met our eligibility criteria (two randomized controlled trials, two studies with quasi-experimental designs, and one study with a before-and-after design). These studies tested different interventions: the introduction of nonpesticide agricultural management, providing central storage facilities for pesticides, distributing locked storage containers to households, and local insecticide bans. The only sufficiently powered study produced no evidence of the effectiveness of providing household storage containers. Three interventions showed some promise in reducing pesticide suicides or attempts, with certain caveats.Conclusions: Our review identified three community interventions that show some promise for reducing pesticide suicides by restricting access to means, which will require replication in large, well-designed trials before they can be recommended. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We sought to compare clusters of suicidal events between two different time periods and examine the extent to which earlier clusters predict later clusters. We included data on suicides and suicide attempts from New South Wales between July 2001 and June 2012 and Western Australia between January 2000 and December 2011. Suicide attempts included admissions to hospital for deliberate self-harm and suicides were deaths due to deliberate self-harm. We combined data on suicides and suicide attempts and grouped them into two equal time periods. We detected clusters in each period using Poisson discrete scan statistics adjusted for socio-economic status. We estimated the predictive values of earlier clusters on later clusters. The results showed that clusters from earlier time period had a moderate power (36%) in predicting later clusters. During the later time period, some additional cluster areas (14%) were found and some earlier cluster areas subsided (64%). Historical clusters predict 36% of the subsequent clusters, which is probably not sufficient for targeting interventions. Our study highlights the need for other strategies to detect emerging clusters, for example, up-to-date data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Assessment of a patient after hospital-treated self-harm or psychiatric hospitalization often includes a risk assessment, resulting in a classification of high risk versus low risk for a future episode of self-harm. Through systematic review and a series of meta-analyses looking at unassisted clinician risk classification (eight studies; N = 22,499), we found pooled estimates for sensitivity 0.31 (95% CI: 0.18-0.50), specificity 0.85 (0.75-0.92), positive predictive value 0.22 (0.21-0.23), and negative predictive value 0.89 (0.86-0.92). Clinician classification was too inaccurate to be clinically useful. After-care should therefore be allocated on the basis of a needs rather than risk assessment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Failure to provide follow-up care after a suicide attempt is associated with increased risk of reattempt. This online survey examined the experiences of patients of the Australian health system after a suicide attempt. Just over half of the participants had a psychiatric assessment within 1 week of their attempt. Fewer than half believed they had been offered enough help. Low service satisfaction was associated with lower help-seeking intentions. Support for individuals who have made a suicide attempt needs to be enhanced, and an integrated approach to care is required, including improved referral pathways and staff attitudinal change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim Little evidence exists regarding the efficacy of suicide prevention programmes among the youth. This pilot study aimed to test the effects of a specifically designed, eight-module Internet-based programme on suicidal ideation among secondary school students. Methods The study employed a pre-test/post-test design. Outcomes of interest were suicidal ideation, depression and hopelessness. Participants were recruited via the school well-being team, were assessed at baseline and immediately post-intervention. The intervention was delivered weekly at the young persons' school. Results Twenty-one students completed all eight modules and a post-intervention assessment, and constitute the observed case sample used for the analysis. Overall levels of suicidal ideation, depressive symptoms and hopelessness decreased significantly over the course of the study. Conclusions This was a small pilot study with no control group. However, significant reductions were seen in suicidal ideation, depressive symptoms and hopelessness, indicating that Internet-based interventions may hold promise when it comes to reducing suicide risk among youth. Further investigation is warranted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Suicide-related behaviour is a major problem among adolescents. Yet relatively few studies have tested the efficacy, acceptability and safety of interventions for this population. We developed and pilot tested an online intervention for at-risk school students, which has led to reduced suicidal ideation, hopelessness and depressive symptoms. The aims of this study were to examine the safety and acceptability of the programme, and to determine which components were found to be most helpful and enjoyable. Methods This pilot study employed a pre-test/post-test design, with an 8-week intervention phase. Participants were assessed immediately before, and immediately after the intervention. Participants were also asked to complete a weekly questionnaire immediately after the intervention, and again 2 days later assessing suicidal ideation and distress. Results Twenty-one young people completed the intervention. Overall, the intervention did not lead to increases in suicidal ideation or distress. Participants reported enjoying the programme, in particular watching the video diaries and completing the activities, and said they would recommend the programme to a friend. Overall, the cognitive components of the programme were found to be most helpful. Conclusions Overall, the programme appeared to be a safe and acceptable intervention for at-risk adolescents. This was a small, pilot study so we need to interpret the results with caution. However, the findings are promising and suggest that young people at risk of suicide can safely be included in trials as long as adequate safety procedures are in place. The programme is now being tested in a randomized controlled trial. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Prevention and early intervention for anxiety disorders has lagged behind many other forms of mental disorder. Recent research has demonstrated the efficacy of a parent-focussed psycho-educational programme. The programme is directed at parents of inhibited preschool children and has been shown to reduce anxiety disorders at 1 and 3 years following intervention. The current study assesses the cost-effectiveness of this intervention to determine whether it could provide value-for-money across a population. Method A cost-utility economic framework, using Disability-Adjusted-Life-Years ( DALYs) as the outcome, was adopted. Economic modelling techniques were used to assess the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio ( ICER) of the intervention within the Australian population context, which was modelled as add-on to current practice. The perspective was the health sector. Uncertainty was measured using multivariate probabilistic testing and key assumptions were tested using univariate sensitivity analysis. Results The median ICER for the intervention was AUD$8,000 per DALY averted with 99.8% of the uncertainty iterations falling below the threshold value-for-money criterion of AUD$50,000 per DALY averted. The results were robust to sensitivity testing. Conclusions Screening young children in a preschool setting for an inhibited temperament and providing a brief intervention to the parents of children with high levels of inhibition appears to provide very good value-for-money and worth considering in any package of preventive care. Further evaluation of this intervention under routine health service conditions will strengthen conclusions. Acceptability issues associated with this intervention, particularly to preschool staff and parents, need to be considered before wide-scale adoption is undertaken. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a study that describes he frequency, type and quality of mental health treatment among Australian adults with past-year affective and/or anxiety disorders. The study examined data for 8831 adults aged 16-85 years interviewed for the 2007 National Survey of Mental Health and Wellbeing. It suggests the need to close the gap in treatment quality requires strategies to increase the use of evidence-based interventions.

The Gap Park Self-Harm Minimisation Masterplan project is a collaborative attempt to address jumping suicides at Sydney’s Gap Park through means restriction, encouraging help-seeking, and increasing the likelihood of third-party intervention. We used various data sources to describe the Masterplan project’s processes, impacts, and outcomes. There have been reductions in reported jumps and confirmed suicides, although the trends are not statistically significant. There has been a significant increase in police call-outs to intervene with suicidal people who have not yet reached the cliff’s edge. The collaborative nature of the Masterplan project and its multifaceted approach appear to be reaping benefits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: To analyse changes in the quantity and quality of media reporting about dementia in Australian media between two time periods. Methods: A media retrieval service collected all news items related to dementia. Quality ratings based on previously developed criteria were made for a stratified random sample of items - 1129 items for 2000/2001 and 1606 for 2006/2007. Nine items of quality were assessed. A summary score for quality was constructed. The content of the sampled media items was also coded. Results: Overall, the mean total quality score for dementia-related items significantly improved over the study period. There were very large improvements in quality of reporting of 'sensationalism', 'language' and 'provision of information about help services' and some small deterioration in quality for 'medical terminology' and 'illness versus person'. Conclusions: A very positive finding here is that generally the quality of reporting dementia has improved over the period studied. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a study which examined whether common medical conditions of older age are associated with poorer mental health outcomes in a sample of older Australians. The sample is comprised of patients aged 60 years or over who attended general practitioners (GPs) participating in the Depression and Early Prevention of Suicide in General Practice (DEPS-GP) project. It has revealed that most chronic physical illnesses were associated with increased odds of depression.

There are worldwide concerns that pro-suicide web sites may trigger suicidal behaviors among vulnerable individuals. In 2006, Australia became the first country to criminalize such sites, sparking heated debate. Concerns were expressed that the law casts the criminal net too widely; inappropriately interferes with the autonomy of those who wish to die; and has jurisdictional limitations, with off-shore web sites remaining largely immune. Conversely, proponents point out that the law may limit access to domestic pro-suicide web sites, raise awareness of Internet-related suicide, mobilize community efforts to combat it, and serve as a powerful expression of societal norms about the promotion of suicidal behavior. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Younger people, early in the course of psychotic illness, are at high risk of suicide. Aim: To investigate the impact of a specialized early psychosis (EP) treatment programme on risk of suicide up to 8.5 years following first contact with mental health services. Methods: A population-based, retrospective cohort study of 7760 individuals with a psychotic disorder, aged 15–29 years at first contact, ascertained from a statewide psychiatric case register. Suicides were identified by linking the psychiatric register to a coronial register of unnatural deaths. Cox proportional hazards models were used to investigate potential risk factors, including specialized EP treatment, for suicide. Results: Our principal hypothesis, that suicide risk over the entire follow-up period would be significantly lower for those who received specialized EP treatment compared with those who did not, was not supported. However, a secondary analysis found that, after adjusting for other socio-demographic, clinical and treatment factors, suicide risk was 50% lower in the first 3 years following first contact with mental health services among those exposed to specialized EP treatment compared with those who were not. History of inpatient treatment, more treatment days per annum, and shorter time to establish a psychotic diagnosis were associated with increased risk. Non-participation in the labour force or in study, compared with being unemployed, exerted a protective effect. Conclusions: The EP treatment model may afford protection from suicide whilst the EP intervention is delivered and for a limited period afterwards. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

OBJECTIVES: To determine whether childhood physical and sexual abuse are associated with poor mental and physical health outcomes in older age. DESIGN: Cross-sectional, postal questionnaire survey. SETTING: Medical clinics of 383 general practitioners (GPs) in Australia. PARTICIPANTS: More than 21,000 older adults (aged ≥60) currently under the care of GPs participating in the Depression and Early Prevention of Suicide in General Practice (DEPS-GP) Study. Participants were divided into two groups according to whether they acknowledged experiencing childhood physical or sexual abuse. MEASUREMENTS: Main outcome measures targeted participants' current physical health (Medical Outcomes Study 12-item Short Form Survey, Version 2 and Common Medical Morbidities Inventory) and mental health (Patient Health Questionnaire-9 and Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale). RESULTS: One thousand four hundred fifty-eight (6.7%) and 1,429 participants (6.5%) reported childhood physical and sexual abuse, respectively. Multivariate models of the associations with childhood abuse indicated that participants who had experienced either childhood sexual or physical abuse had a greater risk of poor physical (odds ratio (OR)=1.35, 95% confidence interval (CI)=1.21–1.50) and mental (OR=1.89, 95% CI=1.63–2.19) health, after adjustments. Older adults who reported both childhood sexual and physical abuse also had a higher risk of poor physical (OR=1.60, 95% CI=1.33–1.92) and mental (OR=2.40, 95% CI=1.97–2.94) health. CONCLUSION: The effects of childhood abuse appear to last a lifetime. Further research is required to improve understanding of the pathways that lead to such deleterious outcomes and ways to minimize its late-life effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rural Australians face particular difficulties in accessing mental health care. This paper explores whether 51 rural Access to Allied Psychological Services projects, funded under the Better Outcomes in Mental Health Care program, are improving such access, and, if so, whether this is translating to positive consumer outcomes. Design and method: The paper draws on three data sources (a survey of models of service delivery, a minimum dataset and three case studies) to examine the operation and achievements of these projects, and makes comparisons with their 57 urban equivalents as relevant. Results: Proportionally, uptake of the projects in rural areas has been higher than in urban areas: more GPs and allied health professionals are involved, and more consumers have received care. There is also evidence that the models of service delivery used in these projects have specifically been designed to resolve issues particular to rural areas, such as difficulties recruiting and retaining providers. The projects are being delivered at no or low cost to consumers, and are achieving positive outcomes as assessed by standardised measures. Conclusion: The findings suggest that the rural projects have the potential to improve access to mental health care for rural residents with depression and anxiety, by enabling GPs to refer them to allied health professionals. The findings are discussed with reference to recent reforms to mental health care delivery in Australia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is a paucity of studies examining which suicides are considered newsworthy. By combining data on media reports of individuals' suicides with routinely collected suicide data, it was found that 1% of Australian suicides were reported over a 1-year period. There was evidence of over-reporting of suicides by older people and females, and those involving dramatic methods. Reported suicides fell into three groups: suicides reported in a broader context; suicides by celebrities; and suicides involving unusual circumstances/methods. The data suggest a need for media professionals and suicide experts to work together to balance newsworthiness against the risk of copycat behavior. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study describes Australian media portrayal of mental illnesses, focusing on depression. A random sample of 1,123 items was selected for analysis from a pool of 13,389 nonfictional media items about mental illness collected between March 2000 and February 2001. Depression was portrayed more frequently than other mental illnesses. Items about depression, eating disorders, and substance use disorders most commonly described policies or programs, whereas items about schizophrenia most frequently portrayed individuals or symptoms and treatment. A minority of items about depression presented information about symptoms, causes, treatment, or prognosis. Although such information was generally accurate, a proportion of items conveyed misleading messages. There is therefore scope for increasing the level of accurate information provided about depression in the Australian media. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Comm Psychol 33: 283–297, 2005. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents arguments on the budgetary reforms to the Better Access to Mental Health Care initiative of the Australian government. According to the authors, the provision is positive since it will allow consumers to receive a specified number of Medicare-reimbursable mental health care sessions. They cite their study which found that over 11 million services have been delivered by Better Access, including treatments such as cognitive behavioural therapy. They also explain budget-related changes to Better Access.

A letter to the editor is presented discussing the relationship between selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) use and suicidality.