Samuel B Harvey

• MBBS PhD MRCGP MRCPsych
• Professor (Associate) at UNSW Sydney

Background Mental illness is the leading cause of employee absence and vocational disability in many countries. The Job Demand-Control model posits that risk factors for mental illness include psychosocial stressors such as high job demands and low job control. We determined (1) if the prevalence of population-level work-related risk factors has ch...

Purpose of Review Many patients with chronic health conditions experience anxiety, which can have significant implications on physical health outcomes and quality of life. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to examine the prevalence of anxiety in gastroenterology and hepatology outpatients, across factors such as physical health conditi...

Background Shift (Black Dog Institute) is the first mobile health smartphone app created to support the mental health of junior physicians. Junior physicians experience demanding work conditions, leading to high levels of psychological distress and burnout. However, they are often concerned about the potential career impacts of seeking mental healt...

Objective To evaluate an online training program for physician supervisors with the aim of promoting a mentally healthy workplace by improving their use of both responsive and preventive mental health support strategies. Study design Cluster randomised, waitlist‐controlled trial. Setting, participants Royal Australasian College of Physicians fell...

Objective The COVID-19 pandemic required mental health clinicians globally to transition to the delivery of care via telehealth. This study aimed to gain an understanding of clients’ satisfaction with and attitudes towards telehealth mental health services. Method Seventy adults who had attended a clinic for mood and anxiety disorders, and partici...

Mental health problems among the working population represent a growing concern with huge impacts on individuals, organizations, compensation authorities, and social welfare systems. The workplace presents both psychosocial risks and unique opportunities for intervention. Although there has been rapid expansion of workplace mental health interventi...

The financial cost to workplaces associated with mental health conditions is considerable. Consequently, this article explores the last two decades of Australian data pertaining to work-related psychological injuries, work capacity and benefit/compensation pathways. The presented data highlights the increasing costs and duration of mental health-re...

Previously published analyses of suicide case investigations suggest that work or working conditions contribute to 10%–13% of suicide deaths. Yet, the way in which work may increase suicide risk is an underdeveloped area of epidemiologic research. In this Commentary, we propose a definition of work‐related suicide from an occupational health and sa...

Background DSM-5 introduced illness anxiety disorder and somatic symptom disorder, which commonly fall under the term health anxiety (HA). HA is clinically significant worry about health. The prevalence of HA is higher in general hospital (medical) clinics than in the community. Firstly, there are limited studies on the proactive identification (sc...

The COVID-19 pandemic had a devastating impact on unemployment, which—compounded by the additional stressors associated with the pandemic—had considerable mental health impact. The current study examined the trajectory of mental health amongst those experiencing pandemic-related job loss, alongside the impact of risk and protective factors. Data we...

Background Corrective service workers (CSWs) are at high risk of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and other mental health problems. Prevalence rates and help-seeking behaviours are under-researched within this population. Aims To assess rates of PTSD and distress, and identify predictors of intention to seek help, among workers at an Australi...

BACKGROUND Shift (Black Dog Institute) is the first mobile health smartphone app created to support the mental health of junior physicians. Junior physicians experience demanding work conditions, leading to high levels of psychological distress and burnout. However, they are often concerned about the potential career impacts of seeking mental healt...

Objective: Evidence on effective prevention of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is sparse, particularly among first responders. This study evaluated the effectiveness of a Tactical Mind–Body Resilience Training program on PTSD symptoms in first responders. Method: Active-duty first responders (n = 80; Mage = 41.8 years, 82.5% men) were randomiz...

Objective This study investigated the relationship between work-related factors at baseline and the risk of common mental disorder at 12 month follow-up among a cohort of junior doctors. Method The data comprised the junior doctor respondents from two annual waves of the ‘Medicine in Australia: Balancing Employment and Life’ (MABEL) survey, a nati...

Secondary school educators are well placed to recognize and respond to mental illness in adolescents; however, many report low confidence and skills in doing so. A confirmatory cluster randomized controlled trial involving 295 educators (Mean age: 40.10 years, SD: 10.47; 76.6% female, 2.7% Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander) from 73 Australian se...

Background While extensive research has highlighted increased risk for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in firefighters, previous research has yielded mixed results regarding the role of work status (professional versus volunteer) in the development of psychopathological symptoms. Aims To explore the predictive strength of work status on PTSD...

Background Health professionals are at risk of poor mental health outcomes due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Essential Network (TEN) is a blended care mental health support service for Australian health professionals, funded by the Australian Federal Department of Health. TEN comprises both digital and face-to-face components. We examined completed...

Objective Mind-body exercise (MBE) interventions, such as yoga, are increasingly recognised as an adjunct treatment for trauma-related mental disorders but less is known about their efficacy as a preventative intervention. We aimed to systematically review if, and what type of, MBE interventions are effective at preventing the development of post-t...

Workplaces are an important location for population mental health interventions. Screening to detect employees at risk of or experiencing mental ill health is increasingly common. This systematic review and meta-analysis examined the efficacy of workplace mental health screening programmes on employee mental health, work outcomes, user satisfaction...

Background: Common mental disorders (CMDs) and suicidal ideation (SI) are prevalent among doctors, yet limited evidence exists investigating the relationship of specialty area to these outcomes. Aims: This study aimed to determine the prevalence of likely CMD and SI among doctors and to investigate whether likelihood of these outcomes varied by...

Anxiety and anxiety disorders are associated with adverse cardiovascular outcomes, and reduced quality of life. Despite this, no comprehensive study on the global prevalence of anxiety symptoms and disorders among adult cardiology outpatients exists. This systematic review and meta-analysis aims to provide cardiologists with a precise estimate of t...

Anxiety is common in those with medical conditions and has significant impacts on mental well‐being as well as physical health outcomes. While several systematic reviews have examined the prevalence of anxiety in specific dermatological conditions, no reviews have examined the prevalence across the entire dermatology outpatient setting. This system...

Background: Unemployment is associated with substantially greater depression and anxiety, constituting a considerable public health concern. The current review provides the most comprehensive synthesis to date, and first meta-analysis, of controlled intervention trials aimed at improving depression and anxiety outcomes during unemployment. Method...

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BACKGROUND Shift is a novel smartphone app for providing a digital-first mental health resource to junior doctors. It contains psychoeducational material, cognitive behavioral modules, guided mediations, information on common work stressors, and a section on help-seeking options for psychological problems through workplace and private avenues. OBJ...

Objective: To examine associations between cognitive-emotional strategies and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in first responders with high trauma exposure. Method: Our study used baseline data from a cluster randomized controlled study of first responders across Colorado in the United States. Those with high exposure to critical incidents...

Objective Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is highly prevalent in certain populations. However, evidence indicates that many individuals do not respond to treatment. Digital supports hold promise for increasing service provision and engagement but there is a lack of evidence on blended care options and still less research guiding the developme...

Purpose In Australia and elsewhere, suicide rates among construction workers remain high. Construction workplaces are thus an important setting for targeted suicide prevention programs. This study aimed to compare suicide prevention literacy and help-seeking intentions among participants receiving face-to-face suicide prevention training, with thos...

Workplace sickness absence is a major public health and economic problem, and common mental disorders (CMDs) such as anxiety and depression are associated with particularly high rates of long-term sickness absence. Effective return-to-work (RTW) interventions are required. This pilot study investigates the feasibility, acceptability, and potential...

Background There is increasing evidence that depression can be prevented; however, universal approaches have had limited success. Appropriate targeting of interventions to at-risk populations has been shown to have potential, but how to selectively determine at-risk individuals remains unclear. Workplace stress is a risk factor for depression and a...

Objective To examine the relative risk of suicide among healthcare professionals compared to other occupations and examine changes in suicide rates over time. Methods Suicide cases were identified using the National Coronial Information System and were included if they were recorded as a death by intentional self-harm between 2001 and 2017 and wer...

Background Unemployment is known to involve various psychosocial challenges that can negatively impact mental health. However, the intricacies of how individuals experience these challenges and strive to cope within the context of varied sociocultural and individuating factors, remain comparatively understudied. The present qualitative study used a...

While a large body of research assessed the contribution of mental health stigma on disclosure, treatment seeking, and recovery, limited research exists seeking to identify the relative contribution of stigma beliefs on workers’ compensation claims for psychological injury. Survey data of ambulance, fire and rescue, police, and state emergency serv...

Background: Mental health conditions are considered the leading cause of disability, sickness absence, and long-term work incapacity. eHealth interventions provide employees with access to psychological assistance. There has been widespread implementation and provision of eHealth interventions in the workplace as an inexpensive and anonymous way of...

Background Emergency service workers (ESW) are known to be at increased risk of mental disorders but population-level and longitudinal data regarding their risk of suicide are lacking. Method Suicide data for 2001–2017 were extracted from the Australian National Coronial Information Service (NCIS) for two occupational groups: ESW (ambulance person...

Background Apprenticeships are a common pathway for young people transitioning into the workforce. Apprentices often face many employment-related challenges and have high levels of psychological distress, drug and alcohol use, and suicidal ideation. Little is known about the attitudes of apprentices toward using smartphone apps to support their men...

Purpose Physical activity is an important component of treatment for people living with mental illness, and exercise practitioners are well placed to deliver these interventions. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic and associated lock-down regulations, exercise professionals have rapidly adapted to the online delivery of services to continue care...

BACKGROUND First responders are regularly exposed to trauma, yet many are reluctant to engage in conventional mental health programs aimed at prevention or early intervention. There is emerging evidence for preventative programs that target cognitive and behavioural change, as well as programs that integrate both physical and mental training such a...

Background: First responders report elevated rates of mental disorders, including posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), yet many are reluctant to seek care. Preventative resilience training programs attempt to proactively address this issue, and there is evidence showing promise for programs targeting cognitive processes. However, these programs r...

Background: Doctors report high rates of workplace stress and are at increased risk of mental health disorders. However, there are few real-world studies evaluating the effectiveness of interventions aimed at addressing workplace risk factors and improving doctors' mental health in a hospital setting. This study was conducted over two years (2017-...

Background Shift is a novel smartphone app for providing a digital-first mental health resource to junior doctors. It contains psychoeducational material, cognitive behavioral modules, guided mediations, information on common work stressors, and a section on help-seeking options for psychological problems through workplace and private avenues. Obj...

BACKGROUND Shift is a novel smartphone application (app) to provide a digital-first mental health resource to junior doctors. It contains psychoeducational material, cognitive behavioural modules, guided mediations, information on common work stressors, and a section on help-seeking options for psychological problems through workplace and private a...

BACKGROUND Mental health conditions are considered the leading cause of disability, sickness absence, and long-term work incapacity in most developed countries. EHealth interventions provide employees with access to psychological assistance. There has been widespread implementation and provision of eHealth interventions in the workplace as an inexp...

Background Mental health conditions are considered the leading cause of disability, sickness absence, and long-term work incapacity. eHealth interventions provide employees with access to psychological assistance. There has been widespread implementation and provision of eHealth interventions in the workplace as an inexpensive and anonymous way of...

Objective: This article aims to assess whether caring for COVID-19 patients impacted junior doctors' COVID-19-related anxieties, general anxiety and depression, and the relative impact of depression, general anxiety and specific COVID-19 anxiety on work and social functioning during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. Methods: Recruitment occurred be...

Background: There have been few large-scale nationally representative studies on the prevalence of substance use among doctors. Additionally, the association of different medical specialties with the use of different substances requires further research. Aims: This study aimed to investigate how the use of alcohol, tobacco and illicit drugs vari...

Background Mental health is an integral part of overall health. Mental health disorders following childbirth are common and poor maternal mental health has consequences for both the mother and her infant. Preeclampsia is also relatively common in pregnancy but there is little known about the intersection between these two important conditions. Gain...

Background: First responder populations, such as emergency services and the military, report elevated levels of mental health problems. Although post-deployment or post-incident psychosocial support interventions are widely implemented within these services, its effectiveness in preventing the development of mental disorders is unclear. Aims: To...

Background: Medical practitioners can experience considerable stress and poor mental health during their careers, with doctors in training known to be particularly vulnerable. Previous research has documented work-related factors that may play a role in the mental health status of junior doctors. However, these and additional factors, need to be e...

BACKGROUND Apprenticeships are a common pathway for young people transitioning into the workforce. Apprentices often face many employment-related challenges and have high levels of psychological distress and are at risk of mental health problems. However, they tend to have low engagement in digital mental health interventions, which are often not c...

BACKGROUND The COVID-19 pandemic has placed healthcare workers (HCWs) under severe stress, compounded by barriers to seeking mental health support among HCWs. The Essential Network (TEN) is a blend of digital and person-to-person (blended care) mental health support services for HCWs, funded by the Australian Federal Department of Health as part of...

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has placed healthcare workers (HCWs) under severe stress, compounded by barriers to seeking mental health support among HCWs. The Essential Network (TEN) is a blend of digital and person-to-person (blended care) mental health support services for HCWs, funded by the Australian Federal Department of Health as part...

Background: Anxiety and depression account for considerable cost to organizations, driven by both presenteeism (reduced performance due to attending work while ill) and absenteeism. Most research has focused on the impact of depression, with less attention given to anxiety and comorbid presentations. Aims: To explore the cross-sectional relation...

Principal strain and burnout is a major issue in desperate need of further investigation and solutions. Deepening our understanding of emotional exhaustion, the central dimension of burnout, would greatly further this pursuit. Using a large, longitudinal, representative sample of Australian school principals, the present study decomposed emotional...

The COVID-19 pandemic has heightened interest in how physician mental health can be protected and optimised, but uncertainty and misinformation remain about some key issues. In this Review, we discuss the current literature, which shows that despite what might be inferred during training, physicians are not immune to mental illness, with between a...

Background Mental health screening in the workplace aims to identify employees who are becoming symptomatic, in order to provide timely support and evidence-based interventions to those affected. Given the stigma associated with mental illness, accurate disclosure of mental health symptoms cannot be assumed. The present study sought to investigate...

Objectives: To examine the perceptions of health professionals regarding the gaps in mental health service provision in Australia and their need for assistance in managing patients with mental illness. Method: A total of 570 health professionals participated in an anonymous online survey in January 2018 that assessed: i) health professionals’ curre...

Objective This study aimed to examine the relationship between shared decision-making (SDM) and the implementation of treatment recommendations amongst outpatients at a specialist Depression Clinic. Methods A total of 110 adult outpatients in a specialist Depression Clinic in Sydney, Australia, completed an online survey examining their experience...

Background Physician trainees have elevated rates of psychological distress, mental disorders and suicide. Physician supervisors can support the mental health needs of trainees. Aim To test the feasibility and acceptability of a tailored online mental health training program and ascertain the potential effectiveness of the program to alter the con...

Objective: To investigate the efficacy of a workplace mental health awareness training program on help-seeking and mental health outcomes. Methods: A cluster randomized controlled trial was conducted comparing those who received standard training (N = 210) or standard training with a mental health awareness module (N = 208). Both groups were fol...

BACKGROUND Junior doctors report higher levels of psychological distress than more senior doctors and report several barriers to seeking professional mental health support, including concerns about confidentiality and career progression. Mobile health applications (mHealth apps) may be utilised to help overcome these barriers to assist the emotiona...

Background Junior physicians report higher levels of psychological distress than senior doctors and report several barriers to seeking professional mental health support, including concerns about confidentiality and career progression. Mobile health (mHealth) apps may be utilized to help overcome these barriers to assist the emotional well-being of...

Background: Decisions of whether to disclose mental health conditions are extremely personal and require the consideration of multiple factors associated with the disclosure process (eg, weighing the risks and benefits). Decision aid tools help people make these complex decisions. Such an aid needs to be confidential, easily accessible, and easy to...

Background To examine workplace stressors reported by junior doctors and identify variables associated with adverse mental health outcomes. Methods Cross‐sectional analysis of national 2013 survey of Australian doctors focusing on junior medical officers (JMOs) (N = 3,053; 24.9% of total sample). Primary outcomes were caseness of common mental dis...

Interventions delivered via mobile apps show particular promise in tackling the burden of common mental disorders. Appropriately targeting these interventions to at-risk populations is critical to their success. This pilot study aimed to assess the usability, feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary effects of an app-based intervention designed...

Aim: Risk algorithms predicting personal mental ill-health will form an important component of digital and personalized preventive interventions, yet it is unknown whether informing people of personal risk may cause unintended harm. This trial evaluated the comparative effect of communicating personal mental ill-health risk profiles on psychologic...

Background: Young people are at heightened risk for mental health problems. Apprenticeships are common pathways into the workforce at a critical developmental period. However, in some cases the working conditions for apprentices present significant challenges to mental wellness. As apprentices are unlikely to utilize traditional services, eHealth a...

Objective Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and psychological injuries are debilitating health problems facing police officers. There is increasing interest in the role of exercise as an intervention. We aimed to determine the preliminary effectiveness of the RECONNECT exercise program for NSW Police Officers experiencing PTSD or psychological i...

BACKGROUND Decisions of whether to disclose mental health conditions are extremely personal and require the consideration of multiple factors associated with the disclosure process (eg, weighing the risks and benefits). Decision aid tools help people make these complex decisions. Such an aid needs to be confidential, easily accessible, and easy to...

Background Depression is common among doctors. However, concerns remain that doctors are unlikely to ask for help when symptoms of depression arise. Aims To determine rates and patterns of help‐seeking for depression amongst doctors and to identify predictors of and barriers to such behaviour. Methods A secondary analysis was conducted on a natio...

Background In international studies, cognitive impairment is a common but underdetected issue in dialysis patients. Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) shares risk factors with and is an independent risk factor for cognitive impairment. There is a lack of Australian data of cognitive impairment in this at‐risk population. This has implications on service...

Background There is evidence that depression can be prevented; however, traditional approaches face significant scalability issues. Digital technologies provide a potential solution, although this has not been adequately tested. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a new smartphone app designed to reduce depression symptoms an...

The mental health and well-being of employees is an increasingly important issue, both in terms of the financial costs to the Australian economy and human costs to society. This review examines two major technology-driven trends in the workplace and presents evidence for their impact on mental health, both positive and negative. First, we consider...

Pre-employment screening to assess for psychological vulnerability is common in trauma-exposed occupations such as policing. However, the ability of such screening to predict those at increased risk of subsequent mental health problems has been questioned. The present study sought to investigate the ability of the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality...

Objective Mental health problems among medical students have been widely reported, but the predisposing and perpetuating factors and biological concomitants are poorly understood. Adopting a biopsychosocial approach, we studied well-being in a group of Australian medical students, focusing on sleep, autonomic and immune mechanisms, as well as menta...

The cover image is based on the Meta Analysis A meta‐regression of the impact of policy on the efficacy of Individual Placement and Support by Beate Brinchmann, Miles Rinaldi, DAVID MCDAID et al., https://doi.org/10.1111/acps.13129.

Apprenticeships are a common pathway for young people transitioning from education to employment, and adolescence to adulthood. Apprenticeships have undergone considerable reform, and since the 1990s labour market priorities in Australia have resulted in weakening of protections offered to workers through the award system and trade unions. At the s...

BACKGROUND Randomised controlled trials (RCTs) with vigorous study designs are vital for determining the efficacy of treatments. Despite the high internal validity attributed to RCTs, external validity concerns limit the generalisability of results to the general population. Bias can be introduced, for example, when study participants who self-sele...

Background Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) with vigorous study designs are vital for determining the efficacy of treatments. Despite the high internal validity attributed to RCTs, external validity concerns limit the generalizability of results to the general population. Bias can be introduced, for example, when study participants who self-sele...

Background: Pre-employment psychological screening to detect psychological vulnerability is common amongst emergency service organizations worldwide, yet the evidence for its ability to predict poor mental health outcomes is limited with published studies looking at post-recruitment research data rather than data collected by the organizations the...

Objective Despite concern regarding high rates of mental illness and suicide amongst the medical profession, the link between working hours and doctors’ mental health remains unclear. This study examines the relationship between average weekly working hours and junior doctors’ (JDs’) mental health in Australia. Design and participants A randomly s...

Background In most e-mental health (eMH) research to date, adherence is defined according to a trial protocol. However, adherence to a study protocol may not completely capture a key aspect of why participants engage with eMH tools, namely, to achieve personal mental health goals. As a consequence, trial attrition reported as non-adherence or dropo...

Objective: Individual placement and support (IPS) has shown consistently better outcomes on competitive employment for patients with severe mental illness than traditional vocational rehabilitation. The evidence for efficacy originates from few countries, and generalization to different countries has been questioned. This has delayed implementatio...

This article was migrated. The article was not marked as recommended. Background: Integration of e-learning and digital resources into university medical education is growing. However, there is a lack of systematic evaluation and comparison of different teaching methods. This study examined medical student feedback regarding Psychiatry lectures usi...

This review aimed to examine the effectiveness of mental health training programs designed to improve the knowledge, attitudes, or helping behaviour of secondary school teachers for adolescent depression, anxiety, and related mental health problems. A systematic search strategy was conducted using electronic databases and hand search procedures. Ei...

Objectives Making decisions about disclosing a mental illness in the workplace is complicated. Decision aid tools are designed to help an individual make a specific choice. We developed a web-based decision aid to help inform decisions about disclosure for employees. This study aimed to examine the efficacy of this tool. Method We conducted a rand...

Objective Depression in dialysis patients is often undetected despite associations with poor outcomes. The aim was to determine the prevalence and associations of depressive symptoms and physician recognition of depression within a typical Australian dialysis population. Method A cross-sectional study examined haemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis...