Evaluation of a rapid response, brief, multi-disciplinary team (MDT) intervention, for young people who presented to hospitals with acute mental health concerns

BackgroundDuring COVID-19 pandemic, the Assertive Community Service Response Team (ASCR team) was set up in Brisbane, Australia to provide a rapid response, 8-week MDT intervention to young people (aged 18 and below) who presented with acute mental health issues.MethodsData involving young people who attended the ACSR team (from June 2021-June 2022) was analysed to evaluate the differences in pre- and post-clinician-rated outcome measures. The proportion of young people who experienced Reliable Change (defined as 1.96 Reliable Change Index (RCI); RCI = x2-x1/Standard deviation) was estimated, and predictive factors were explored.ResultsAmong the 79 consumers who attended ACSR, there were statistically significant improvements in symptom, functioning, and risk scores. More than 30% and 40% experienced reliable changes in symptomatology and functioning, respectively. Despite improvement, nearly 80% experienced ongoing emotional difficulties, and 60% reported family relationship difficulties.ConclusionWhile the ACSR brief MDT intervention was feasible and acceptable for young people with acute mental health concerns and a significant proportion experienced meaningful clinical improvement, future studies with control designs should explore if the improvements could be attributed to the brief intervention.