Background
Young people in mental health crises have severely limited access to clinical care and show the lowest adherence to conventional clinical services. Low-threshold and integrated services (integrated youth mental health services, IYMHS) are recommended to overcome these barriers and provide early detection, early intervention and psychosocial care appropriate for young people.
Objective
The aim is to provide an overview of low-threshold IYMHS globally and in Germany and to report on international experiences with these services and evidence of their effectiveness.
Methods
The narrative review is based on research conducted in PubMed, including the use of published reviews.
Results
International developments show that IYMHS have become established as innovative models of care for young people in mental health crises. Australia is seen as a pioneer with its nationwide network of headspace centers. In Germany, soulspace is the first model project and another, ancora, is in the pipeline. Evaluations to date show that many young people who would not otherwise have sought help use these integrated services and predominantly experience symptomatic and functional improvements.
Conclusion
International experiences to date and pilot projects in Germany have demonstrated the potential of IYMHS to provide low-threshold support at an early disease stage to young people with first symptoms of mental health. For Germany, expanding an integrated, cross-sectoral care structure is recommended through pooling resources from statutory health insurances and public funding.
