Professor Helen Herrman
Psychiatry’s central role in community health care

Studies have shown that people living with depression and psychosis are twice as likely to die young as other people in the community. Partnerships between practitioners, those with lived experience and family carers are needed to improve the poor access to general health services and to mental health care common in our community and elsewhere.

Social services organisations do much great work for young people who come from backgrounds of abuse and neglect.  However the resources provided are low compared to the size of the problem.
International experience shows that some countries are doing good work with few resources by enlisting, training and setting up supervision for primary health services, volunteers and non-medical workers to provide basic treatment.

Helen Herrman is Professor of Psychiatry at Orygen, The National Centre of Excellence in Youth Mental Health and the Centre for Youth Mental Health, The University of Melbourne and Director of the WHO Collaborating Centre for Mental Health in Melbourne. She is President Elect of the World Psychiatric Association.

 

At Orygen, she leads a research program, funded through the National Health and Medical Research Council, Australian Rotary Health and the University of Melbourne designed to improve the mental health of young people in out of home care. The project funded by ARH is evaluating the training and participation of young peer leaders in this work. Her other research programs include youth, technology and mental health, and depression in primary health care.

Helen has a background of clinical, academic and service development work in the fields of community mental health care for people with psychosis, the assessment of outcomes and quality of life for people with disabilities, and mental health promotion. She is currently President of the Pacific Rim College of Psychiatrists and the International Association of Women’s Mental Health.

She received the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists’ College Citation in 2010 for contributions to national and international psychiatry, and International Distinguished Fellowship of the American Psychiatric Association in 2009. She was inducted to the Victorian Honour Roll of Women in 2013.