ORYGEN Research Institute receives $17 million in funding boost and announces improved recovery rate for youth suffering mental health
Media Release, Wednesday 4 July 2007
Australia’s leading youth mental health service, ORYGEN Research Centre within the University of Melbourne, has received a significant funding boost of $17 million from the Colonial Foundation, it was announced with Minister for Innovation John Brumby today.
“This significant funding boost will allow us to expand further our outreach services in mental health care for youth. We are grateful for the continuing support of the Colonial Foundation as they have provided integral funds to our organisation over the last five years,” said Professor Patrick McGorry, Director of ORYGEN Research Institute and Professor of Youth Mental Health at the University of Melbourne.
The grant represents the Colonial Foundation’s largest grant to a single organisation and is one of the most generous grants for research ever in Australian corporate history.
“This new funding will secure ORYGEN’s place as a world leading mental health research centre with a long term future,” Professor McGorry said.
Australian youth will benefit directly in the coming years from the funding increase which will support innovative research in Early Psychosis, Depression and Bipolar Disorder, Anxiety and Personality Disorders.
Professor McGorry said this unprecedented funding from the Colonial Foundation will make an immediate difference, enabling an expanded research and leadership team, and recruitment of high level statistical support to analyse and disseminate data in a more sophisticated way.
Research findings to be announced at the launch today include results of an eight year study of ORYGEN’s Youth Health’ s clinical service model, with a focus on 15 – 25 year olds.
The study revealed ORYGEN is delivering a higher recovery rate for its patients at half the cost over the first decade of care of standard public mental health services.
The findings of the University of Melbourne study reveal that the Early Psychosis Prevention & Intervention Centre (EPPIC) and ORYGEN outpatients had less severe psychotic symptoms, a higher level of global functioning and maintained positive clinical outcomes for longer periods.
“While initial costs were similar to standard care, over the long term EPPIC/ORYGEN patients required less public mental health care, “Professor McGorry said.
“This is the best evidence to date that a specialized early intervention focus in a youth-friendly environment not only works but is highly cost-effective.”
In addition, an ORYGEN study of EPPIC/ORYGEN patients with age contemporaries who received treatment in the generic public mental health care system in Victoria between 1991 – 1999, revealed that treatment for up to 2 years within the EPPIC/ORYGEN model conferred substantial protection for up to 4 years against completed suicide, compared with treatment in the generic public mental health system
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