695 Transforming early intervention for youth mental health: from brands to active ingredients

The mental health needs of children, young people have never been more prominently in the public discourse. The extent of the problem and the urgency of finding a solution is much remarked upon worldwide. There are a plethora of diverse suggested solutions. Each one presented as if it were the sole answer. Whether it is banning social media, stopping bullying, fixing gut microbiome, using psychedelics or addressing the epidemic of loneliness. Amongst the clamour of concern and competing solutions it can be hard to find clear, neutral evidence as to what is likely to be most helpful for whom, in what circumstances. In this talk. I will present an overview of what we know, and what we don9t know, about what helps in terms of early intervention for two of the most common mental health problems, anxiety and depression. From my perspective as both a researcher and a funder, I will share an overview of where the research field is currently, in terms of not only what works, but why it works, for whom and the limitations of what works. I will focus particularly on what constitutes the active ingredients of effective interventions. That is those aspects of intervention that drive clinical impact, are conceptually clearly defined and link to specific hypothesised mechanisms of action. For too long the field of mental health interventions has been characterised by ever more complex competing brands, where the mechanisms of action are unclear. Conditions, children, young people and families are having to choose between belief systems rather than considering different fundamental drivers of change. In this talk I hope to help people find the signal from the noise and share some of the excitements of the emerging science in this field, which I do feel is at a tipping point.