Patrick McGorry

Patrick McGorry (born 1952, Dublin, Ire.) Irish-born Australian psychiatrist best known for his research and advocacy efforts in the area of youth mental health.

McGorry was the eldest of four children. His father was a doctor. In 1955, when McGorry was two years old, the family moved from Finglas, an area of northern Dublin, to Swansea, Wales. In 1968 the family immigrated to Australia.

McGorry earned bachelor’s degrees in medicine and surgery from the University of Sydney (1977) and followed with a doctorate in psychiatry from Monash University in Melbourne (1991). In 1992, while pursuing a medical degree from the University of Melbourne, he founded and was subsequently appointed director of the university’s Early Psychosis Prevention and Intervention Centre (EPPIC), which offers services intended to diagnose and treat the early symptoms of psychosis. Also in 1992 he became an associate professor of psychiatry, and in 1996 he became director of the university’s Centre for Young People’s Mental Health (renamed Orygen Youth Health in 2002).

In 2003 McGorry was awarded the Centenary Medal by the Australian federal government for the establishment of EPPIC, which was the first organization of its kind in Australia to focus on young people in general, as opposed to adolescents or adults specifically. The centre’s structure and services have proved to be an influential model for such organizations in Asia, Europe, and North America. In 2002 McGorry completed his medical training, and four years later he was appointed to Australia’s first chair of youth mental health at the University of Melbourne.

McGorry is a founding director and board member of the National Youth Mental Health Foundation (also known as Headspace), a mental-health initiative of the Australian federal government. The foundation offers information, services, and support in the areas of mental health and social well-being. In addition to his work in the field of early psychosis, McGorry has been noted for his significant research contributions to the broader field of youth mental health, including the areas of suicide, homelessness, substance abuse, personality disorders, schizophrenia, torture, and trauma. He has received criticism for his advocacy of preventive medicine for individuals who may be at high risk of developing mental illness, as they face potential side effects from medications prescribed to prevent disorders that may not have actually materialized.

McGorry has held various editorial positions, including editor in chief of the journal Early Intervention in Psychiatry, associate editor of the Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry, and editorial board member of Schizophrenia Bulletin and Schizophrenia Research. He is the coauthor or coeditor of several books, including The Recognition and Management of Early Psychosis: A Preventive Approach, 2nd ed. (2009). In 2010 McGorry was named Australian of the Year and was appointed an Officer of the Order of Australia for his efforts to improve mental-health services, particularly for Australia’s youth.