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Introduction: People who inject drugs experience stigma across multiple settings, including when accessing health‐care services, however, comparatively little is known about experiences of stigma towards other groups of people who use illegal drugs. This paper examines experience of, and factors associated with, stigma among two samples of people who use illegal drugs when visiting both specialist alcohol and other drug (AOD) and general health‐care services. Methods: Australians who regularly (i.e., ≥monthly) inject drugs (n = 879; illicit drug reporting system [IDRS]) or use ecstasy and/or other illegal stimulants (n = 700; ecstasy and related drugs reporting system [EDRS]) were surveyed between April and July 2022 about past 6‐month experience of stigma in the above services. Multi‐variable regression analyses were performed to determine the socio‐demographic, drug use and health factors associated with stigma. Results: Experiences of stigma in general health‐care services were more common among IDRS (40%) than EDRS (24%; p < 0.001) participants, however, experiences were comparable in specialist AOD health‐care settings (22% and 20%, respectively; p = 0.687). Gender identity and experiencing high psychological distress were associated with experiencing stigma across both samples. Past‐year overdose was associated with experiencing stigma among the IDRS sample, while unstable housing and incomplete high school education were associated with experiencing stigma in the EDRS sample. Discussion and Conclusions: Experiences of stigma when accessing health‐care services are relatively common across different populations of people who use illegal drugs. Our findings highlight the multiple and intersecting dimensions of stigma and provide further support for recent calls for a universal precautions approach to stigma in health care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Eating disorders are complex mental health conditions with rising prevalence. Despite this, research and evaluation (R&E) remain under-funded, hindering translation, policy, prevention and advances in care; an equitable and responsive ecosystem of research and knowledge-sharing across the sector is needed to enhance outcomes for people and systems affected by eating disorders. Community members engage with community eating disorder organisations/services to receive guidance and support, often through innovative co-designed programs and resources. Building R&E capacity and capability within community settings is essential in capturing, leveraging and translating local knowledges, such as evaluation outcomes to research, policy, practice settings and the broader community to improve understandings, actions and outcomes. Partnerships between community service providers and academic researchers could be a way of establishing reciprocal knowledge)sharing pathways while simultaneously building internal R&E capacity/capability. The current article presents a longitudinal participatory protocol to plan for, co-design and implement R&E practices within an Australian community-based eating disorder service via an academic partnership. We present a four-stage methodological outline aiming to (a) identify the needs, experiences and feasibility of engaging in R&E in a community eating disorder context; and (b) collaboratively plan for, develop and integrate R&E practices through partnership. We will collect data through focus groups, meetings, interviews, researcher notes and questionnaires across several months. This pragmatic plan can guide future collaborative R&E building efforts within a community mental health context in ways that inform the development and scalability of sustainable, effective and efficient R&E praxis and partnerships across the eating disorder and broader mental health sector. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Perinatal depression is often underdiagnosed; consequently, many women suffer perinatal depression without follow-up care. Screening for depressive symptoms during the perinatal period has been recommended in Australia to increase detection and follow-up of women suffering from depressive symptoms. Screening rates have gradually increased over the last decades in Australia. Objective: To explore trends in referrals of women to community mental health services during the perinatal period, and prenatal and postnatal admissions to psychiatric units, among those who gave birth in Queensland between 2009 and 2015. Method: Retrospective analyses of data from three linked state-wide administrative data collections. Trend analyses using adjusted Poisson regression models examined 426,242 births. Outcome variables included referrals to specialised mental health services; women admitted with a mood disorder during the second half of their pregnancy and during the first 3 months of the postnatal period; and women admitted with non-affective psychosis disorders during the second half of their pregnancy and during the first 3 months of the postnatal period. Results: We found an increase in mental health referrals during the perinatal period over time (adjusted incidence rate ratio, 1.07; 95% confidence interval, [1.06, 1.08]) and a decrease in admissions with mood disorders during the first 3 months of the postnatal period (adjusted incidence rate ratio, 0.95; 95% confidence interval, [0.94, 0.98]). We did not find any changes in rates of admission for other outcomes. Conclusion: Since the introduction of universal screening in Queensland, referrals for mental health care during the perinatal period have increased, while admissions for mood disorders in the first 3 months after delivery decreased. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]