Integrated Mental Health
Researcher
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Research Program Leader Dr Victoria Palmer
+61 3 8344 4987
Research Overview
The Integrated Mental Health Research Program aims to optimise person-centred mental health that enhances physical and mental well-being. Mentored and established by internationally recognised academic GP, Professor Jane Gunn, the research spans over 15 years of primary care led depression research as shown in the figure below. Comprised of a multidisciplinary group of researchers, this leading program has engaged more than 500 general practitioners and 10,000 patients in clinical and health services research.
Our 4 main research areas are:
- Testing a clinical prediction tool to identify risk of depression and tailor treatments
- Developing evidence-based interventions for mental health system re-design in the primary care setting
- Testing a clinical support tool for GPs and patients to make timely decisions about when and how to cease antidepressant use
- Co-design/co-production implementation in mental health services
- Documenting the recovery experiences and physical health of people living with severe mental illness
- Testing an assertive care intervention to reduce cardiovascular risk for people living with severe mental illness
- Innovations in technologies for mental health care
- E-mental health implementation in the primary care setting
The Program is part of a vibrant culture of collaboration and exchange through the Department’s Visiting Academic program that hosts visitors from around Australia and internationally from Europe, the UK and North America. In recent years the Program has hosted and mentored 7 international postdoctoral research fellows including:
- Dr Markus Haun (2016) Heidelberg University Hospital, Germany;
- Dr Christine Ladegaard Geyti (2016) University of Aarhus, Denmark;
- Dr Caroline Wachtler (2014-2015) Karolinska Institute, Sweden;
- Dr Marjorie Johnston (2014) University of Aberdeen, Scotland;
- Dr Lauralie Richards (2013-2015) University of Montreal, Canada;
- Dr Gilles Ambresin, (2011-2013) University of Lausanne, Switzerland;
- Dr Jennifer Terpstra, (2011) University of British Columbia, Canada.
Staff
Professor Jane Gunn - (Program Mentor) Department of General Practice
Dr Victoria Palmer (Head of Research Program) - Department of General Practice
Dr Patty Chondros (Biostatistician) - Department of General Practice
Ms Amy Coe (Research Assistant and Program Coordinator) - Department of General Practice
Ms Konstancja Densley (Data Manager) - Department of General Practice
Dr Susie Fletcher (Research Fellow) - Department of General Practice
Dr Caroline Johnson (Research Fellow) - Department of General Practice
Ms Roxanne Kritharidis (Project Officer) - Department of General Practice
Ms Maria Potiriadis (Link-me National Trial Coordinator) - Department of General Practice
Dr Matthew Lewis (Research Fellow) - Department of General Practice
Collaborators
Australian Collaborations
- University of Newcastle
- Deakin University
- University of Queensland
- University of New South Wales
- Orygen
- Lifeline
- Department of Health and Human Services
- Black Dog
- Tandem - representing Victorian mental health carers
- Victorian Mental Illness Awareness Council (VMIAC)
- Australian Taxi Industry Association
International Collaborations
- Kent State University
- University of Warwick
- University of Glasgow
- University of Southampton
- University of Liverpool
- The Chinese University of Hong Kong
- University of Lausanne
- Karolinska Institute
- McGill University
- The Hearth Centre
Funding
- National Health & Medical Research Council (NHMRC)
- Commonwealth Department of Health
- Mental Illness Research Fund and the Psychiatric Illness an Intellectual Disability Donations Trust Fund
- Melbourne Networked Society Institute (MNSI)
- Melbourne Social Equity Institute
- Shepherd Foundation
- Therapeutic Guidelines Ltd (TGL)/RACGP
Research Outcomes
Palmer V, Weavell W, Callander R, Piper D, Richard L, Maher L, Boyd H, Herrman H, Furler J, Gunn J, Iedema R, Robert, G (2018). The Participatory Zeitgeist: an explanatory theoretical model of change in an era of coproduction and codesign in healthcare improvement. BMJ Medical Humanities. http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/medhum-2017-011398
Chondros P, Davidson S, Wolfe R, Gilchrist G, Dowrick C, Griffiths F, Hegarty K, Herrman H, Gunn J (2018). Development of a prognostic model for predicting depression severity in adult primary care patients with depressive symptoms using the diamond longitudinal study. J Affect Disord 227: 854-860. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2017.11.042
Wachtler C, Coe A, Davidson S, Fletcher S, Mendoza A, Sterling L, Gunn J (2018). Development of a mobile clinical prediction tool to estimate future depression severity and guide treatment in primary care: User-centered design. Journal of Medical Internet Research mHealth & uHealth 20(4): e95 http://dx.doi.org/10.2196/mhealth.9502
Gunn J, Cameron J, Densley K, Davidson S, Fletcher S, Palmer V, Chondros P, Dowrick C, Pirkis J (2018). Uptake of mental health websites in primary care: insights from an Australian longitudinal cohort study of depression. Patient Educ and Couns 101(1): 105-112. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pec.2017.07.008
Davidson S, Wadley G, Reavley N, Gunn J, Fletcher S (2017). Psychological distress and unmet mental health needs among urban taxi drivers: a cross-sectional survey. Aust N Z J Psychiatry 52(5): 473-482. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0004867417741556
Proudfoot JC, Gunn J, Fletcher S, Sanatkar S, Wilhelm K, Campbell L, Zwar N, Harris M, Lapsley H, Hadzi-Pavlovic D, Christensen H (2017). A Web-Based Public Health Intervention to Reduce Functional Impairment and Depressive Symptoms in Adults With Type 2 Diabetes (The SpringboarD Trial): Randomized Controlled Trial Protocol. JMIR Res Protocol 6(8). DOI: 10.2196/resprot.7348
Richard L,Piper D, Weavell W, Callander R, Iedema R, Furler J, Pierce D, Godbee K, Gunn J, Palmer V (2017). Advancing engagement methods for trials: the CORE study relational model of engagement for a stepped wedge cluster randomised controlled trial of experience-based co-design for people living with severe mental illnesses. Trials 18(1): 169. http://10.1186/s13063-017-1878-7
Gunn J, Wachtler C, Fletcher S, Davidson S, Mihalopoulos C, Palmer V, Hegarty K, Coe A, Murray E, Dowrick C (2017).Target-D: a stratified individually randomized controlled trial of the diamond clinical prediction tool to triage and target treatment for depressive symptoms in general practice: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial. Trials 18(1). DOI: 10.1186/s13063-017-2089-y
Ambresin G, Palmer V, Densley K, Dowrick C, Gilchrist G, Gunn J (2015). What factors influence long-term antidepressant use in primary care? Findings from the Australian diamond cohort study. J Affect Disord 176(0): 125-132. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2015.01.055
Gunn J, Elliott P, Densley K, Middleton A, Ambresin G, Dowrick C, Hegarty K, Herrman H, Gilchrist G, Griffiths F (2013). A trajectory-based approach to understand the factors associated with persistent depressive symptoms in primary care. Journal of Affective Disorders. February 2013. 148(2–3):338-346. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2012.12.021
Gunn J, Ayton D, Densley K, Pallant J, Chondros P, Herrman H, Dowrick C (2012). The association between chronic illness, multimorbidity and depressive symptoms in an Australian primary care cohort. Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology. 47: 175-184. DOI: 10.1007/s00127-010-0330-z
Gunn, J., Palmer, V. Dowrick, C., Herrman, H., Griffiths, F., Kokanovic, R., Blashki, G., Hegarty,K., Johnson, C., Potiriadis, M., May, C. (2010). "Embedding effective depression care: using theory for primary care organisational and systems change." Implement Sci 5: 62-76. https://doi.org/10.1186/1748-5908-5-62
Gunn, J., Gilchrist, G., Chondros, P., Ramp, M., Hegarty, K.,Blashki, G., Pond, D., Kyrios, M., Herrman, H. (2008). Who is identified when screening for depression is undertaken in general practice? Baseline findings from the Diagnosis, Management and Outcomes of Depression in Primary Care (diamond) longitudinal study. Med J Aust 188(12 Suppl): S119-125. https://www.mja.com.au/journal/2008/188/12/who-identified-when-screening-depression-undertaken-general-practice-baseline