Patrick McGorry facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Patrick McGorry AO
McGorry in 2010
Born	(1952-09-10) 10 September 1952 (age 73) Dublin, Ireland
Nationality	Australian
Education	Bishop Gore School Newcastle Boys' High School
Alma mater	University of Sydney Monash University University of Melbourne
Occupation	Psychiatrist
Organization	Orygen, The National Centre of Excellence in Youth Mental Health
Known for	Development of the early intervention services for youth psychosis
Title	Australian of the Year
Term	2010
Predecessor	Mick Dodson
Successor	Simon McKeon
Spouse(s)	Merilyn Hawke ​ (m. 1980)​
Children	Three
Awards	Order of Australia

Patrick Dennistoun McGorry (born 10 September 1952) is an Australian psychiatrist who was born in Ireland. He is well-known for creating special services that help young people early on when they first show signs of mental health challenges.

Helping Young People with Mental Health

Patrick McGorry is a Professor of Youth Mental Health at the University of Melbourne. He has written many articles for important medical journals. He is also the leader of Orygen, which is a special center for youth mental health. He helped start Early Intervention in Psychiatry, a journal about helping young people early.

Professor McGorry also strongly supported creating a national organization called headspace. This group helps young people across Australia with their mental health. He is one of the people who helped set up headspace.

Early Help for Psychosis

Professor McGorry and his team created a new way to help young people who are experiencing symptoms of psychosis for the first time. Psychosis is a mental health condition where a person might have trouble telling what is real from what is not. This new approach started at a clinic in Melbourne called EPPIC.

The EPPIC clinic has been very important in changing how mental health services work, especially in places like the United Kingdom. Their idea is like the saying "A stitch in time saves nine," meaning it's better to deal with a problem early. They also created the PACE clinic, which helps young people who might be at risk of developing psychosis.

Early studies showed that the EPPIC program worked well and was also a good use of money compared to older ways of helping. In 2003, Professor McGorry received the Centenary Medal for his important work with the EPPIC program. He has asked the Australian government to create more early help centers across the country. This is because getting help early can lead to better long-term results for young people.

Discussions About Early Intervention

Some people have had different opinions about Professor McGorry's work. At first, some thought there wasn't enough proof that early help for psychosis worked. A review in 2011 said that specialized early help services were useful, but more studies were needed. It also questioned if the benefits lasted a long time.

Some critics have said that Professor McGorry might have made the benefits of early help seem bigger than they were. They argued that long-term benefits and saving money had not been fully proven. There were also discussions about giving certain medications to young people who might be at risk. Some experts, like Allen Frances, worried that many of these young people might not develop psychosis, and early treatment could have risks.

However, studies in England and Denmark over the past 20 years have shown that early help is effective for at least the first two years. But sometimes, if patients go back to traditional care, some of the benefits might be lost.

Professor McGorry has also been asked about potential conflicts of interest because he advised the government on programs he helped create. He has said that he does not have a conflict of interest. The Australian government also stated that he was just one expert among many who helped inform their decisions on mental health support.

Headspace: A Broader Approach

The success of early intervention for psychosis led to a wider program called "headspace." Headspace helps young people with many different mental health challenges. It was first started with support from the government and has continued to receive support from different political parties.

In 2013, Professor McGorry appeared with then-Opposition Leader Tony Abbott to talk about mental health plans. After being elected, the government provided more money for research at Orygen and for expanding headspace services. In 2018, the government continued to provide funding for Orygen and headspace, showing ongoing support for youth mental health.

Awards and Other Activities

In January 2010, Professor McGorry was named Australian of the Year for his important work in youth mental health. In June 2010, he was also given the title of Officer of the Order of Australia.

In 2013, he received the National Alliance on Mental Illness Scientific Research Award. He was the first researcher outside the United States to receive this award. In 2015, he won the Lieber Prize for his excellent work in schizophrenia research. In 2018, he received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Schizophrenia International Research Society. He was also the first psychiatrist to become a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Science.

Professor McGorry has led several important mental health organizations, including the Society for Mental Health Research (Australia), the Schizophrenia International Research Society, and the International Early Psychosis Association. As of 2018, he was the president of the International Association for Youth Mental Health. He was also part of the Million Minds Mission, an Australian government initiative for mental health.

In October 2023, Professor McGorry was one of 25 Australians of the Year who signed an open letter supporting the "Yes" vote in the Indigenous Voice referendum. He said he felt it was important to support this because he worried about the mental health of Indigenous Australians if the Voice was not supported.

In 2024, Professor McGorry was made an honorary member of the Royal Irish Academy.