Today, more youth are experiencing mental illness than ever before. Half of all mental illnesses begin by the age of 14 and three-quarters have their onset by the mid-20s. Yet, less than a third of young people are receiving the mental health services they need.
CAMH is engaging youth and their families as equal partners in care and research in order to improve mental health care and outcomes. They are important collaborators on a number of initiatives, including YouthCan IMPACT. YouthCan IMPACT is a multi-site study led by CAMH that compares hospital-based outpatient mental health care to a community-based one-stop-shop model.
“From the start of this study, youth and families have been involved as integral members of our core team and advisory groups. This approach of reciprocal learning and shared decision-making benefits everybody,” says Dr. Joanna Henderson, Director of the Margaret and Wallace McCain Centre for Child, Youth & Family Mental Health. “YouthCan IMPACT is helping build better service models for youth – with youth – across Ontario’s communities for the future.”
