Morning tea to farewell A/Professors Kylie Gray & Glenn Melvin

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You are invited to attend a Morning Tea to Farewell A/Professors Kylie Gray and Glenn Melvin on Monday, 19th August from 10.30 am to 12 noon in Level 7 Boardroom, TRF Building, MMC, Clayton.

Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Parent Group Interventions for Primary School Children Aged 4–12 Years with Externalizing and/or Internalizing Problems

Sarah Buchanan-Pascall, Glenn Melvin et al. published in Child Psychiatry & Human Development.

The Cranky Thermometers: Visual analogue scales measuring irritability in youth

Glenn Melvin et al. published in the Journal of Adolescence.

Read article here.

Suicide prevention app developed by Monash University a finalist in VicHealth Awards

Dr Glenn Melvin

Dr Glenn Melvin has been named a finalist in the 2017 VicHealth Awards for his development of the suicide prevention app, BeyondNow in collaboration with BeyondBlue.

BeyondNow is a convenient and confidential free app that supports people experiencing suicidal thoughts or who are heading towards a suicidal crisis.

 “The app is designed to support people who struggle with thoughts of suicide. It provides a place to document coping strategies and support people so they can navigate through a crisis,” said Dr Melvin.

“I'm very pleased about the nomination and I hope that it provides BeyondNow with additional exposure and allows it to reach more people.”

Since its launch in March 2016, more than 33,000 people have downloaded the BeyondNow app and it has been adopted by a number of health networks, including Monash Health.

Dr Melvin said he is very excited about what the future might hold for this field.

“I believe smartphone apps have untapped potential in supporting and connecting people with the help that they need and I look forward to ongoing collaborations with beyondblue on BeyondNow,”

Winners will be announced on Tuesday 5 December 2017 at the VicHealth Awards Ceremony at Melbourne Museum.

In other news, Dr Melvin was recently recognised for his research efforts, receiving an academic promotion to Associate Professor effective January 2018.

A senior lecturer at the Centre for Development Psychology and Psychiatry (CDPP), Dr Melvin is also an Honorary Associate Professor at the University of Warwick.

Dr Melvin’s research focuses on understanding high risk adolescent behaviours including suicide risk and school non-attendance.

“My aim is to develop and evaluate more effective methods of assessing these problems and intervening to reduce the impact on young people and their families during a sensitive developmental stage,” Dr Melvin said. 

For more information about the 2017 VicHealth Awards, visit www/vichealth.vic.gov.au/awards

Information about the BeyondNow app is here: https://www.beyondblue.org.au/get-support/beyondnow-suicide-safety-planning/?&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI8t2I85SY1wIVyQoqCh1brQBrEAAYASAAEgLMcPD_BwE

Contextualizing post-traumatic stress disorder within culturally diverse groups: a comparison of Holocaust survivors and Sudanese refugees

Jarrod White, Glenn Melvin et al. published in the International Journal of Culture and Mental Health.

Read article here.

Reflective function mediates the relationship between emotional maltreatment and borderline pathology in adolescents: A preliminary investigation

Glenn Melvin et al. published in Child Abuse & Neglect.

Read article here.

Shame Proneness, Shame Coping, and Functions of Nonsuicidal Self-Injury (NSSI) Among Emerging Adults

Shireen Mahtani, Glenn Melvin et al. published in Emerging Adulthood.

Read article here.

Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Parent Group Interventions for Primary School Children Aged 4-12 Years with Externalizing and/or Internalizing Problems

Glenn Melvin et al. published in Child Psychiatry and Human Development.

Read article here.

Depressed teenagers benefit from new therapy at Monash

Dr Glenn Melvin

A novel therapy that directly stimulates nerve cells in the brain is being trialled by Monash researchers and doctors to treat adolescent depression.

The treatment, Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (rTMS) uses magnetic pulses to change the activity of nerve cells in the part of the brain thought to be related to depression.

According to a recent national study, five per cent of Australian adolescents (12-17 years) experienced major depressive disorder in the past year.

Monash University’s Dr Glenn Melvin said that currently the first line treatment for teenage depression is cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT). 

“In severe cases, or in cases where CBT has not helped, anti-depression medications may be tried,” said Dr Melvin, Senior Lecturer and Clinical Psychologist at Monash University’s Centre for Developmental Psychiatry & Psychology (CDPP).

“Current treatments only work in approximately 50-60 per cent of teens, meaning that a substantial minority do not receive benefit.”

“Unfortunately relapse is common, with a prior Monash study showing that more than 50% will experience another episode of depression within the next five years,” Dr Melvin said.

The new study, led by Associate Professor Michael Gordon from Monash Health and CDPP at Monash University is investigating the comparative clinical efficacy of left-sided high frequency rTMS and right-sided low frequency rTMS.

“Our study is the first to compare left and right sided rTMS in teenagers with depression—we are hoping to determine if one treatment has a better profile, in terms of efficacy and safety, than the other.”

Monash Health is one of only a few sites in the world investigating this novel treatment with adolescents.  Thirteen adolescents have been recruited to the study so far, and the research team aims to recruit 40 candidates.

To find out more, contact the team at:  http://www.monashhealth.org/page/Adolescent_depression

Depressed teens treated with radical magnetic brain stimulation

Michael Gordon's new treatment approach to adolescent depression reported on Channel 9 news.

Watch story HERE.

An evaluation of the use and efficacy of a sensory room within an adolescent psychiatric inpatient unit

Glenn Melvin, Monique West et al published in the Australian Occupational Therapy Journal.

Read article here.

Parents’ Experiences of Nonsuicidal Self-Injury Among Adolescents and Young Adults

Glenn Melvin et al. published in the Journal of Child and Family Studies.

Read article here.

Augmenting Cognitive Behavior Therapy for School Refusal with Fluoxetine: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Glenn Melvin et al. published in Child Psychiatry & Human Development.

Read article here.

The Role of Anger in the Relationship Between Internalising Symptoms and Aggression in Adolescents

Glenn Melvin et al. published in the Journal of Child and Family Studies.

Read article here.

An exploration of the adaptation and development after persecution and trauma (ADAPT) model with resettled refugee adolescents in Australia: A qualitative study

Glenn Melvin et al. published in Transcultural Psychiatry.

Read article here.

Suicide safety planning app aims to save lives

Dr Glenn Melvin's involvement in the development of the suicide safety planning app, reported in Health Times.  Read story here.

Unique smartphone app to reduce suicide deaths

Suicide is now the greatest killer of Australians aged 15 to 44 according to the latest data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics.

A collaboration between Monash University and beyondblue – with funding from the Movember Foundation – has led to the development of a world-first smartphone app and website to help save lives when people feel hopeless and helpless, and want to die.

Dr Glenn Melvin, Senior Lecturer and Clinical Psychologist at Monash University’s Centre for Developmental Psychiatry & Psychology was central to developing the app’s safety plan format. He believes the app is a practical suicide prevention tool that can help save lives. “The safety planning app documents a series of steps that the person can use to keep themselves safe when they have suicidal thoughts,” he said.

 “It starts with things they can do themselves, then moves onto people they can contact for support. All this information is with them constantly on their phone and they can access it privately.”

Called the BeyondNow app, which is free and can be downloaded onto a smartphone, it shows people how to create a plan to refer to when they are experiencing suicidal thoughts or are in a suicidal crisis, according to beyondblue CEO, Mr Jeff Kennett.

“A tool like this has been needed for a long time. We know that having access to a safety plan in crisis situations can save lives. Now, we’ve used technology to convert written suicide safety plans, which have been used successfully with American service veterans, into a free app,” he said.

“I hope that men, in particular, will work with their GPs, psychologists, psychiatrists and carers to personalise their safety plan on the BeyondNow app and refer to it when they feel at risk of harming themselves.”

It is estimated 76,000 people attempt suicide each year in Australia. Research shows 15 to 20 per cent of those who try once will try again. The first three months after an attempt are regarded as the highest risk period.

The free BeyondNow App can be downloaded from the App Store and Google Play store.  

ARC funding success enables research into school non-attendance

Dr Glenn Melvin

Congratulations to Dr Glenn Melvin, Centre for Developmental Psychiatry and Psychology (CDPP) on recently being awarded a prestigious ARC Discovery Project grant.

Dr Melvin together with CDPP's Associate Professor Kylie Gray and EmeritusProfessor Bruce Tonge, and international colleagues, ProfessorRichard Hastings and Dr Vaso Totsika from the University of Warwick, and Associate Professor David Heyne from Leiden University, will use the grant to develop a better understanding of school non-attendance among children and adolescents with an intellectual disability.

"As we have little understanding of this problem, we are poorly equipped to respond to the support needs of these already marginalised young people," said Dr Melvin. 

"The project will identify specific risk factors associated with school non-attendance."

Findings from this project will inform the development of effective supports and interventions to improve educational experiences and outcomes of young people with an intellectual disability.