Youth Voice Part Of International Meetings For The First Time, Canada

Main Category: Mental Health
Also Included In: Conferences
Article Date: 29 Aug 2007 - 1:00 PDT

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The Provincial Centre of Excellence for Child and Youth Mental Health at CHEO is hosting meetings of youth, service providers as well as parents and caregivers from around the world on Monday and Tuesday leading up to the International Institute for Mental Health Leadership (IIMHL) conference in Ottawa later this week. This is the first time the conference has included youth and parents directly.

"The impact of mental illness and its toll on society and individuals are huge. We have to address it when it starts - in childhood and adolescence." said Dr. Simon Davidson, executive director of planning and development at the Centre of Excellence. "Conferences like this one are critical to building the national and international momentum. They draw attention to the magnitude of the issues and help build widespread opportunities to address them."

Coming up with fixes for the mental health system has to include the vision of the people most directly, affected by it - children and youth. In Canada and around the world, this view is starting to take hold. Reaching the young and their parents will lead to better long-term outcomes and less demand for services when people enter their adult years.

Cathy Dyer is one among those meeting as part of the youth match. "Young people need to speak for themselves. Our experiences are not just emotional stories to be told and re-told. We have insights and this kind of meeting let's us be heard in a way that is meaningful." Ms Dyer works with the Centre of Excellence on key youth engagement projects across Ontario. "There are some amazing things starting up across Ontario. I am really looking forward to hearing about what others in other countries are doing too. We want to find ways to address the challenges, come up with new ideas for programs and evaluate the effectiveness of policies." From the pre-conference match the Centre of Excellence is hosting, the youth will present their perspectives to the over 400 delegates convened at the IIMHL conference later in the week.

The IIMHL brings together leaders in the field of mental health from around the world. Through their conferences, new ideas and innovative and effective practices can be shared rapidly without having to wait years for them to trickle down through standard communication channels like journals and workshops.

The Centre of Excellence was asked to host the pre-conference meetings of representatives from the United States, Australia, New Zealand, Scotland, Ireland and Canada. They will facilitate frank discussions about what works and doesn't in each of our countries.

The World Health Organization notes that 15-20% of young people worldwide suffer from a mental disorder that would benefit from mental health treatment. Canada faces the same burden for our youth. In addition to these young people however, there are others who demonstrate significant distress because of difficult family or social situations. They also need timely, effective interventions that may prevent onset of later mental disorders and improve their functioning at school, at home and in the community. Currently our health services do not adequately meet either of these needs.

In Canada, across all sectors of industry, the Global Business and Economic Roundtable on Addiction and Mental Health estimates that mental disorders - specifically depression and anxiety - cost the country $33 billion a year in lost productivity. Helping our young in a timely way, creating a system that is cohesive and appropriately funded and breaking down the stigma and shame associated with mental illness can only reduce the impact across all sectors of society.

The Provincial Centre of Excellence for Child and Youth Mental Health at CHEO works to bring all those who have a role in the mental health of children and youth in Ontario to a common purpose. Building on experience and the best available evidence, the Centre promotes partnerships and stimulates evidence to advance the integration of the system to better meet existing and future needs. This involves a large spectrum of stakeholders including: youth, families and caregivers, mental health and service providers across many sectors, researchers, educators, knowledge brokers, advocates, policy makers and others. 

http://www.cheon.ca