Patrick McGorry facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Patrick McGorry
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McGorry in 2010
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| Born | 10 September 1952 Dublin, Ireland
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| 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 on September 10, 1952, is a doctor from Ireland who now lives in Australia. He is famous for helping young people with their mental health early on, especially when they first start showing signs of mental health challenges. He has worked hard to create special services that support young people's mental well-being.
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Helping Young People with Mental Health
Patrick McGorry is a Professor of Youth Mental Health at the University of Melbourne. This means he teaches and researches how to help young people with their mental health. He has written many articles for important medical journals.
He is also the leader of Orygen, which is a special center focused on youth mental health. He helped start a group called the International Early Psychosis Association. McGorry also strongly supported the creation of headspace, a national organization in Australia that helps young people with their mental health. He is one of the people who helped set up headspace.
Early Support for Mental Health Challenges
McGorry and his team created a special way to help young people who are showing early signs of psychosis. Psychosis is a mental health condition where a person might have trouble telling what is real from what is not. This special program is called EPPIC and is based in Melbourne.
The EPPIC program is like the saying "A stitch in time saves nine." It means getting help early can prevent bigger problems later. Another program, PACE, helps young people who are at risk of developing psychosis, even if they don't have full symptoms yet.
Studies showed that EPPIC worked well and was also a good use of money compared to older ways of helping. McGorry received the Centenary Medal in 2003 for his important work with the EPPIC program. He has asked the Australian government to create more early support centers across the country. This is because getting help early can lead to better long-term results for young people.
Feedback on Early Intervention
McGorry's work on early intervention has received some feedback. At first, some people thought there wasn't enough proof that it worked. A review in 2011 said that special early intervention services seemed helpful, but more studies were needed. It also questioned if the benefits lasted a long time.
Some critics have said that McGorry might have made the benefits of early help seem bigger than they were. They also questioned if long-term benefits and cost savings were truly proven. Some even suggested he might have given misleading information about his studies.
However, studies in England and Denmark have shown that early intervention 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.
McGorry's ideas about giving medicine to young people who are at risk of psychosis have also been questioned. Some experts, like Allen Frances, worried that most young people at risk might not develop psychosis. They thought giving medicine too early could have risks.
A planned study involving a medicine called quetiapine, led by McGorry, also faced ethical concerns.
He has also been accused of having a conflict of interest. This means using his position on a government committee to support programs he helped create. McGorry has said he does not have a conflict of interest. The Australian government also stated that he was just one member of a group of experts. They said the government made the final decisions on mental health programs.
In 2012, a politician named Martin Whitely criticized the government for supporting McGorry's ideas. Whitely claimed McGorry had made exaggerated claims about his programs that were accepted without enough checking.
Headspace: A Broader Approach
The success of early intervention programs helped create a wider support system called "headspace." This program helps young people with many different mental health challenges. Headspace was started with government support and has continued to receive help from different political parties.
During the 2013 Australian election, McGorry appeared with Tony Abbott, who was then the leader of the opposition. Abbott promised more money for research and programs related to McGorry's work if he became Prime Minister. After Abbott's party won, they gave millions of dollars to Orygen and headspace to expand their services. In 2018, the government continued to provide funding for Orygen and headspace.
Awards and Other Activities
In January 2010, McGorry was named Australian of the Year for his important work in youth mental health. In June 2010, he was also given a special honor called Officer of the Order of Australia.
In 2013, he received the National Alliance on Mental Illness Scientific Research Award. He was the first person outside the United States to get 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.
McGorry has led several important organizations, including the Society for Mental Health Research (Australia) 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 a government initiative called the Million Minds Mission for mental health.
In October 2023, 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 did this because he was worried about the mental health of Indigenous Australians if the Voice was not supported.
