In recent decades, poor mental health among young people has been increasing in both high-income country (HIC) and low- and middle-income country (LMIC) contexts, with many young people not receiving or experiencing significant delays in treatment. The Covid-19 pandemic exacerbated this trend of rising rates of poor youth mental health, with epidemiological data globally continuing to demonstrate increased prevalence. There is evidence of greater self-ascription of mental disorders and an international understanding that increased support for youth mental health is needed globally. In 2020, the World Economic Forum and Orygen produced a Global Framework for Youth Mental Health. Despite this call to action, we lack a comparative understanding of the impact of different policy and service models on youth mental health. There is much we can learn from bringing together a body of evidence to understand factors that influence young people’s access to, engagement with, and positive outcomes from mental health support and treatment.

This Research Topic offers a unique opportunity to draw on global examples of care to inform and understand how policy is being shaped in response to rising demand and complex new challenges that interact with and increase the need for support. This collection will seek out international examples of youth mental health policy and youth mental health service delivery. By exploring how, when, where, for whom, and why mental health services are provided to young people, we can compare different policy contexts and different drivers linked to health equity and services.

The editors welcome submissions that address at least one of these thematic areas:

· models of youth mental health care – these can be in any sector or setting but must focus on delivering support or direct interventions for young people aged 0-25

· mental health policy – how policy shapes service provision and links to youth mental health practice

· intersectional youth mental health care – approaches to working with minoritized young people and learning from practice

· youth mental health and models of care in extreme circumstances, such as an environmental crisis or conflict – approaches adopted/learning from these settings and how these differ from non-crisis/conflict settings

· cultural adaptations within youth mental health care – learning from approaches adopted to integrate culturally nuanced understandings of identity into mental health care for young people

· sustainable models of youth mental health care – considerations for the future and how sustainability is integrated into models of youth mental health care.

Are you interested in contributing a manuscript to this Research Topic?

Models of Youth Mental Health: Policy Through to Practice