Professor Susan Sawyer, Paediatrician and expert in Adolescent Health, describes contemporary understandings about the beginnings and endpoints of "Adolescence". She relates her viewpoint piece, published in The Lancet journal in 2018 titled “The Age of Adolescence” which describes how advances in brain imaging and neurobiology have furthered our understandings of biological beginnings and endpoints, how these discoveries might add to our understanding of this time of life. She discusses rights, the law and contemporary social influences and how all of these elements frame our understandings of this time of life and how we might work better with (and for) teens both in clinical practice and in research.
We discuss her article The Age of Adoelscence. To check out the article head to:https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanchi/article/PIIS2352-4642(18)30022-1/fulltext

Timing of normal pubertyFor more information about growth disorders in teens:https://www.racgp.org.au/afp/2017/december/growth-disorders-in-adolescents/
Susan refers to HEADS screening. For more information check out episode 1 of the Maze phase or head to the RCH guidelines:https://www.rch.org.au/clinicalguide/guideline_index/Engaging_with_and_assessing_the_adolescent_patient/
This Podcast was recorded at the PodHub on the 5th September, 2019Presented by: Bianca ForresterProduced by: Bianca ForresterAudio Engineering: Chris HatzisPost-Production: Arch CuthbertsonMusic: Space Cadet LullabiesGraphics: Gaal Creative
The Maze Phase is a production of the University of Melbourne, Australia. The Maze Phase is licenced under Creative Commons, Copyright 2017, the University of Melbourne.

“What is the impact of depression on school aged teens?”GP, Dr Bianca Forrester, continues the conversation with Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist A/Prof Sandra Radovini about mental health problems in teens. In this episode Bianca and Sandra explore the role of the GP in assessing and managing depression in practice. “What predisposes adolescents to depression”? In seeking to understand the young persons experiences in context, for anxiety she poses the question “What are the pressures”? With depression as a presenting problem she poses a different question….tune in to find out....
This Podcast was recorded at the PodHub on the 30th May, 2019Presented by: Bianca ForresterProduced by: Bianca ForresterAudio Engineering: Chris HatzisPost-Production: Arch CuthbertsonMusic: Space Cadet LullabiesGraphics: Gaal Creative

SSRIs- We discuss the indications, effects, benefits associated with SSRIs. Check out these resources for more information.About SSRIs in GP:https://www.racgp.org.au/afp/2013/september/ssris-and-adolescents/About SSRIs in adolescentshttps://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4791100/About optimal doseshttps://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanpsy/article/PIIS2215-0366(19)30217-2/fulltext
For more information about Assessment and management of Depression check out these reources.Orygen -National Centre of Excellence in Youth Mental HealthTreating Depression in young people.https://www.orygen.org.au/Training/Training-areas/Depression/Clinical-practice-points/Treating-depression-in-yp
Other recommended Guidelineshttps://www.nice.org.ukSimply input: Depression in Children and Young PeopleGreat interactive guidelines by NICE Guidance
Exerpt from NICE guidelines regarding Brief Psychological Intervetions (BPI);This intervention is based on the brief psychosocial intervention (BPI) carried out in the IMPACT trial (Goodyer et al. 2017)1. Core components of BPI include: · psychoeducation about depression and action-oriented, goal-focused, interpersonal activities as therapeutic strategies· building health habits, · planning and scheduling valued activities· advice on maintaining and improving mental and physical hygiene including sleep, diet and exercise · promoting engagement with and maintaining school work and peer relations, and diminishing solitariness. BPI does not involve cognitive or reflective analytic techniques. 1 Goodyer IM, Reynolds S, Barrett B et al. (2017) Cognitive-behavioural therapy and short-term psychoanalytic psychotherapy versus brief psychosocial intervention in adolescents with unipolar major depression (IMPACT): a multicentre, pragmatic, observer-blind, randomised controlled trial. Health technology assessment 21(12), 1–94.
Finally, for patient resources and education:https://headtohealth.gov.auprovides good patient information, advice and digital health options.

How can we help teens who are struggling with intense or uncomfortable feelings?
In this episode, GP Bianca Forrester speaks with Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist A/Professor Sandra Radovini about best practice approaches to understanding anxiety in school aged teens. They discuss important aspects of assessment and how to understand the adolescent’s problems in context. Sandra asks the key question: What are the pressures? And describes how to explore key areas of the young person’s life. Sandra also provides useful insights into creating an individualised management plan and how to work with the young person’s key supports, where possible and formal networks.

This Podcast was recorded at the PodHub on the 30th May, 2019Presented by: Bianca ForresterProduced by: Bianca ForresterAudio Engineering: Chris HatzisPost-Production: Arch CuthbertsonMusic: Space Cadet LullabiesGraphics: Gaal Creative
In this episode, Sandra describes the role of e-mental health tools for underserviced groups such as young people and those living in rural areas. Check out some of these resources.e-Mental Health toolsHead to Health supports users to navigate digital mental health services from some of Australia’s most trusted mental health organisations. Provided by the Australian Department of Health, Head to Health brings together apps, online programs, online forums, and phone services, as well as a range of digital information resources.https://headtohealth.gov.au/?utm_source=mindhealthconnect&utm_medium=301
Apps and iCBT courseshttps://thiswayup.org.au/how-we-can-help/apps/https://thiswayup.org.au/how-we-can-help/courses/mixed-depression-and-anxiety/https://thiswayup.org.au/how-we-can-help/courses/social-phobia/
https://thiswayup.org.au/how-we-can-help/courses/teenstrong/https://moodgym.com.auhttps://mindspot.org.au/anxiety
Webchat supportTeens can get online to chat with professionalshttps://kidshelpline.com.auhttps://headspace.org.au/eheadspace/https://www.beyondblue.org.au/get-support/get-immediate-support
A piece from The Conversation about the role of e-mental Healthhttps://theconversation.com/online-therapies-can-improve-mental-health-and-there-are-no-barriers-to-accessing-them-111357
A meta-Analysis of RCTs for online CBT in youth demonstrates that outcomes of online CBT are comparable to face-to-face interventions for anxiety.https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0119895

What is Youth Friendly Heath care?We hear a lot about the mental health problems in Australian young people. However, as a group, teens present to primary care less than any other age group and the problems that they present with are often unrelated to their mental health. In this episode, GP Bianca Forrester asks Prof Lena Sanci (Academic Expert in Adolescent Primary care) about the barriers that teens face in accessing the health care services they need, and how we, as health professionals, can help them to overcome some of these barriers.Working with Adolescents- How can the GP help?
This Podcast was recorded at the PodHub on the 30th July, 2019Presented by: Bianca ForresterProduced by: Bianca ForresterAudio Engineering: Chris HatzisPost-Production: Arch CuthbertsonMusic: Space Cadet LullabiesGraphics: Gaal Creative
Lena describes the WHO framework on Adolescent Friendly Health care.Head here for more information:https://www.who.int/maternal_child_adolescent/topics/adolescence/health_services/en/
This Podcast was recorded at the PodHub on the 14th June, 2019Presented by: Bianca ForresterProduced by: Bianca ForresterAudio Engineering: Chris HatzisPost-Production: Arch CuthbertsonMusic: Space Cadet LullabiesGraphics: Gaal Creative

A 5 minute listen- Introduction to the Maze Phase. A season recorded in 2019 with the aim of providing an overview of common mental health disorders and the assessment and management in primary care. Principles of Youth Friendly care and theories of adolescent development woven into the series. Due to the Bushfires in Australia and now the COVID 19 pandemic, release of the series was delayed. While the series does not specifically deal with the impact of these events on Australian teens, the principles principles put forward in this series remain relevant in practice.