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Objective: This study utilised digital technology to assess the clinical needs of young people presenting for care at headspace centres across Australia. Method: 1490 young people (12–25 years) who presented to one of 11 headspace services from four geographical locations (urban New South Wales, urban South Australia, regional New South Wales, and regional Queensland) completed a digital multidimensional assessment at initial presentation. Characteristics were compared between services and geographical locations. Results: We identified major variation in the demographics, and the type and severity of needs across different services. Individuals from regional services were more likely to be younger, of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander origin, and present with psychotic-like symptoms and suicidality, while those in urban areas were more likely to have previously sought help and have problematic alcohol use. Further differences in age, distress, depressive symptoms, psychotic-like experiences, trauma, family history, alcohol use, education/employment engagement, and days out of role were identified between different urban sites. Conclusions: The variability between services provides insight into the heterogeneity of youth mental health populations which has implications for appropriate early intervention and prevention service provisions. We propose that integrating digital technologies has the potential to provide insights for smarter service planning and evaluation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of the 25 and Up (25Up) study was to assess a wide range of psychological and behavioral risk factors behind mental illness in a large cohort of Australian twins and their non-twin siblings. Participants had already been studied longitudinally from the age of 12 and most recently in the 19Up study (mean age = 26.1 years, SD = 4.1, range = 20-39). This subsequent wave follows up these twins several years later in life (mean age = 29.7 years, SD = 2.2, range =  22-44). The resulting data set enables additional detailed investigations of genetic pathways underlying psychiatric illnesses in the Brisbane Longitudinal Twin Study (BLTS). Data were collected between 2016 and 2018 from 2540 twins and their non-twin siblings (59% female, including 341 monozygotic complete twin-pairs, 415 dizygotic complete pairs and 1028 non-twin siblings and singletons). Participants were from South-East Queensland, Australia, and the sample was of predominantly European ancestry. The 25Up study collected information on 20 different mental disorders, including depression, anxiety, substance use, psychosis, bipolar and attention-deficit hyper-activity disorder, as well as general demographic information such as occupation, education level, number of children, self-perceived IQ and household environment. In this article, we describe the prevalence, comorbidities and age of onset for all 20 examined disorders. The 25Up study also assessed general and physical health, including physical activity, sleep patterns, eating behaviors, baldness, acne, migraines and allergies, as well as psychosocial items such as suicidality, perceived stress, loneliness, aggression, sleep-wake cycle, sexual identity and preferences, technology and internet use, traumatic life events, gambling and cyberbullying. In addition, 25Up assessed female health traits such as morning sickness, breastfeeding and endometriosis. Furthermore, given that the 25Up study is an extension of previous BLTS studies, 86% of participants have already been genotyped. This rich resource will enable the assessment of epidemiological risk factors, as well as the heritability and genetic correlations of mental conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We describe the data being collected from the Brisbane Longitudinal Twin Study in Australia as part of the US National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)-funded project, Pathways to Cannabis Use, Abuse and Dependence. The history, recruitment, assessment, and retention of twin families in this project are described in detail, along with preliminary findings and plans for future research. The goal of this NIDA project is to make a significant contribution to the discovery of quantitative trait loci influencing cannabis use disorders. Although the focus is cannabis use, abuse, and dependence in young adults, measures of comorbid illicit drug use disorders are also being collected. In addition, a variety of internalizing and externalizing disorders are being assessed, funded by support from the Australian National Health and Medical Research Council. Because these same twins have participated in numerous twin studies since 1992, future plans will include linking different phenotypes to investigate relationships between drug use, psychiatric disorders, and psychological phenotypes within cross-sectional and longitudinal or developmental frameworks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]