Social and occupational outcomes for young people who attend early intervention mental health services: a longitudinal study

In reply: In response to Wallis and colleagues,1 their interpretation of the Iorfino et al2 article is incorrect. Being fully acquainted with the youth mental health service described, I am clear that what was provided to most patients in the sample reported is in fact low intensity and primary care. Multiple publications on headspace, two independent evaluations3,4 (a third is in progress), and the huge national dataset routinely collected by headspace are also broadly consistent with the findings of this article. It is true, as Wallis and colleagues state, that in headspace, as in general practice more widely, there is a large subset of patients with multiple morbidity and more complex and persistent conditions. That is the whole point of the article. While most patients in primary care with medical complexity are generally able to access and secure tenure within the next tier of care (ie, specialist care), that is simply not the case for young people with mental ill health and mental illness.