Restricted accessResearch articleFirst published online 2025-8
Evaluation of a rapid response,brief,multi-disciplinary team (MDT) intervention,for young people who presented to hospitals with acute mental health concerns
During 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.
Methods
Data 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.
Results
Among 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.
Conclusion
While 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.
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