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Boost for mental health projects

24 August 2005

Monash researchers have been awarded more than $700,000 in grants for their depression research in the beyondblue Victorian Centre of Excellence Research Grants.

Dr Teresa Iacono and her team have received $150,000 in the beyondblue grants to investigate depression in people with intellectual disability.

Beyondblue is a national, not-for-profit organisation working to address issues associated with depression, anxiety and related substance misuse disorders in Australia.

The Monash grants were dedicated to the memory of former professor of primary care research at Monash Jeffrey Richards, who died in April this year.

Dr Litza Kiropoulos and her team from the Department of General Practice were awarded $220,000 to examine depression literacy in Greek and Italian people aged over 45 and to develop and evaluate a depression-specific IT resource to help improve depression literacy and decrease stigma.

Dr Teresa Iacono and her team from the Centre for Developmental Disability Health Victoria at Monash, with researchers from Deakin University, received $150,000 to investigate depression in people with intellectual disability.

Professor Bruce Tonge, head of psychological medicine, and Associate Professor Neville King, from the Faculty of Education, received two grants, for projects being undertaken with the Frankston Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services.

One of the projects is a follow-up study to assess the long-term effectiveness of psychological treatments, antidepressant drug therapy and a combination of the two treatments for depressed adolescents.

The other project will compare the effectiveness of cognitive behaviour therapy treatment on its own and augmented with anti-depressant medication in the treatment of children aged six to 13 who have an anxiety disorder and refuse to go to school.

The project will also investigate longer-term outcomes to determine whether the treatment of school refusal can prevent depressive disorders later in life.

Associate Professor David Clarke and his team in the Department of Psychological Medicine have been awarded $100,000 for their project testing an intervention for people with depression and cardiac failure.

Minister for Health, Ms Bronwyn Pike (left) and beyondblue chief executive officer Ms Leonie Young with Professor Bruce Tonge who received two grants in the recent funding announcement.