Centre Director Professor Frank Oberklaid has featured on the ABC’s Mental As week of special programmes focussed on mental health.
Streaming live from The Royal Children’s Hospital Melbourne on Monday 5 October, Professor Oberklaid has called for a “change in the social discourse about child mental illness and mental health”.
This follows the findings from a landmark national survey into the mental health and wellbeing of children and adolescents in Australia, revealing one in seven Australian children between the ages of four and 16 years have a mental health problem.
Professor Oberklaid has called for a broad, community approach to the management of child mental health problems.
“Mental health isn’t just about doctors. Mental health in children starts with parents, early years professionals, schools, maternal and child health nurses.
“There are clues from a very early stage.”