Internationally reviewed recommendations on how to address adolescent mental health challenges in Bermuda will be presented as part of a town hall series next month.

The findings of a national study on youth mental health, which informed the strategy, will also be shared at the meetings.

Daniel Cavanagh, the researcher whose PhD thesis was recently presented to an international panel of mental health experts, and who is returning from Australia, will present the talks.

He will be accompanied at the town halls by a panel of local mental health professionals.

The meetings follow a series of town halls in May, which drew high-profile attendees including the heath and education ministers, the Minister of Youth, Social Development and Seniors, and Sir John Swan, the former premier.

At the earlier events, Mr Canavagh was able to present data and highlight priority areas for future work.

Since then he has written a 100,000-word thesis, which he presented to a panel of mental health experts.

Mr Cavanagh said: “During these town halls, we will not only share the latest data but also provide clear directions to address the issue of youth mental health in our community.

“The recommendations we put forward have been developed after reviewing all health and youth policy documents on the island, writing a 100,000-word thesis and defending the recommendations to an international panel of mental health experts.”

Mr Cavanagh will share insights from the national study that was conducted in partnership with Shawnee Basden, a clinical psychologist who recently joined Solstice as adult mental health manager and consultant psychologist, as well as the Department of Education and participating private schools.

He will be joined by a panel of experts including Dr Basden, Ernest Peets, the founder and therapist at Masc, Peter Yates, consultant child and adolescent psychiatrist at the Mid-Atlantic Wellness Institute, and Sandy De Silva, the executive director at Family Centre.

The study involved 76 per cent of middle and high school students on the island and reported that 31 per cent of adolescents surveyed showed “moderate to severe” symptoms of depression or anxiety.

The town halls will be held on October 3 at Somersfield Academy from 5.30pm to 7pm and at Bermuda College on October 8 from 6pm to 8pm.

Additionally, Mr Cavanagh is to be headquartered at Bermuda College as part of a collaboration that will provide opportunities for direct and more frequent community engagement, dialogue, learning and support in his research.

Scott Wade, chief financial and business development officer at the college, said: “The mental health issue is an unfortunate by-product of an increasingly stressful environment and is particularly impacting our youth.

“We welcome Mr Cavanagh and his research at Bermuda College, as the community’s college, and are happy to support him in this important study.”

The town halls aim to serve as a platform for open dialogue and constructive community conversations about how to better support Bermuda’s young people in their mental health journey.

Mr Cavanagh and Dr Basden have submitted five scientific papers to be reviewed by researchers from top-tier journals around the world.

The first of the five papers has recently been accepted to be published in Health Promotion International.

Mr Cavanagh said: “Publishing these papers in top-tier journals is important as it raises the profile of Bermuda in the scientific community, which makes it more likely we can take part in research collaborations that seek to improve youth mental health in the region.”

He said that public participation was critical in navigating the latest findings and pursuing avenues for positive change.

Mr Cavanagh said he was excited to be working with the Mental Health Anti-Stigma Bermuda Initiative, a collaborative effort between the Ministry of Health, third-sector organisations, private companies, healthcare providers and international programmes, to host the town hall.

He added: “Together, we can make strides in understanding and meeting the mental health needs of our adolescents.

“I give thanks to Bermuda College and Somersfield Academy who have generously opened their doors to host these important events, which I believe symbolises the ability of our community to work together to improve the mental health of our young people.”