We are inviting participants to take part in one or more of three workshops in October-November 2022.

The aims for these three workshops are to:

1. Explore and help select projects for development and piloting in three priority areas for depression in young people:

• Information, education and training
• Risk assessment, early detection and diagnosis
• Food and nutrition

2. Identify potential collaborators and other stakeholders interested in participating in the development and piloting of innovations

Building on earlier projects

The workshops build on work conducted over the last 3 years which:

1. ‘Joined up’ the social, biological and psychological risk factors and mechanisms to understand how depression develops in young people.
2. Generated ~200 ideas for prevention, prediction, early detection, diagnosis of causes, and the management and treatment of the condition.
3. Consulted with a broad range of stakeholders to prioritise strategic initiatives (based on the ~200 ideas) to address key issues in the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of depression in young people.

These risk factors, mechanisms and ideas may be found in the project report Changing Hearts, Changing Minds.

Workshop themes and dates

1. Information, education and training to enable better prevention of depression in young people and earlier intervention.
   Tuesday 18 October 2022, 14:00-16:30 UK time
   
   This workshop will comprise three sub-groups exploring information, education and training for:
   a. Health and social care providers
   b. Organisations engaging with young people, such as schools, colleges and employers
   c. Individual, parents and carers
   
   
2. Risk assessment, early detection and diagnosis of depression in young people to enable better prevention and earlier intervention.
   Tuesday 25 October 2022, 14:00-16:30 UK time
   
   This workshop will comprise three sub-groups exploring innovations in risk assessment, early detection and/or diagnosis with:
   a. Health care providers
   b. Organisations engaging with young people, such as schools, colleges and employers
   c. Solution developers and providers
   
   
3. Food and nutrition to enable people to eat to sustain good mental health.
   Wednesday 2 November 2022, 14:00-16:30 UK time
   
   This workshop will comprise three sub-groups exploring:
   a. Health and social care providers
   b. Organisations engaging with young people, such as schools, colleges and employers
   c. Food and nutrition providers

Who should take part

We need participation from:

    - Innovative companies developing and delivering products and services in each of the theme areas, for example: 

• Information dissemination, education and training.
• Computer-enabled detection.
• Biological diagnostics.
• Food and nutrition.

    - The health and social care system, including

• Public health strategy, information and services
• Primary care, including GPs, Integrated Care Systems, and community mental health support
• Specialists including clinical psychologists, psychiatrists, paediatricians and dieticians
• Professional bodies, including Royal Colleges.

    - Young people up to age 25 with one or more of the following: an interest in young people’s mental health; lived experience of depression; how the body works; psychiatry.

    - Parents, carers, and family members supporting children and young people

    - The wider ecosystem, including:

• Schools, further education colleges and universities
• Employers
• Charities, directly and indirectly, supporting young people’s mental health

How your time will help support solutions for depression in young people

• Test innovations with stakeholders to explore how the most promising ideas may be best deployed to help individuals and to create resilient communities.
• Facilitate the formation of consortia to develop, pilot and implement the most promising innovations.

Register to take part

Next steps

The innovations selected during these workshops will be taken forward in January 2023 when a topic roadmap will be developed for each solution. The topic roadmaps will engage collaborators and other stakeholders to develop a vision for the solution and steps to achieve it, considering development, piloting, evaluation, and early adoption. Dates for the topic roadmaps will be confirmed shortly.

Contact

To find out more about this project, please contact Peter Templeton, Project Lead and Executive Director, Strategic Development, IfM Engage.