Children's Mental Health in the News
Below are general news items about child and youth mental health. For stories about clinical matters in child and youth mental health, please go here.
Mental health groups seek funding for 'orphan' social service
Thursday, January 28, 2010Community leaders across the province have written Premier Dalton McGuinty, saying mental health services for children and youth are in "real trouble." Most of the 90 agencies that form the umbrella group Children's Mental Health Ontario have asked leaders in their communities to help push for improved funding of mental-health services for children, says Camille Quenneville, director of policy and communications for CMHO.
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Are we overmedicating our kids - or undermedicating them?
Monday, March 8, 2010Six-year-old Johnny headbutts his grandma, throws fits in school and terrorizes other children. Is he the degenerate spawn of incompetent parents – or in desperate need of meds? Judith Warner, a journalist and vociferous critic of hyperparenting, says she was convinced that parents were latching on to “fashionable” diagnoses such as oppositional defiant disorder instead of disciplining their kids. But her hunch didn't prepare her for the agonizing truth, the author explains i...
Full ArticleFamily, friends critical to dealing with depression
Wednesday, March 3, 2010Many Canadians are hospitalized for depression, but their chances of dealing with the condition improves if they have a strong support system of family and friends. A study released Tuesday by the Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI), titled "Depression in Ontario: What Predicts a First Mental Health Rehospitalization?" cites this support as being critical in preventing people from being readmitted to hospital for the condition. Individuals who reported having support in managing t...
Full ArticleTough road for teens at risk
Wednesday, March 3, 2010HUNTSVILLE — Define a youth at risk. A broad definition would describe a young person whose chances of success are limited by socio-economic or mental health issues. The Forester went into the community and talked to some teens that have giant hurdles to overcome in their quest for a healthy, happy life. Gregg is a 17-yr-old in Grade 12 who spends most nights couch surfing. That means he sleeps at the homes of friends. He has the option of staying with his grandpare...
Full ArticleCannabis use doubles incidence of psychosis
Tuesday, March 2, 2010Young people who smoke cannabis or marijuana for six years or more are twice as likely to have psychotic episodes, hallucinations or delusions than people who have never used the drug, scientists said on Monday. The findings adds weight to previous research which linked psychosis with the drug and will feed the debate about the level of controls over its use. Despite laws against it, up to 190 million people around the world use cannabis, according to United Nations estimates, equating to abou...
Full Article1 in 4 parents believes unproven vaccine-autism link, but most do what doc says
Monday, March 1, 2010One in four U.S. parents believes some vaccines cause autism in healthy children, but even many of those worried about vaccine risks think their children should be vaccinated.Most parents continue to follow the advice of their children’s doctors, according to a study based on a survey of 1,552 parents. Extensive research has found no connection between autism and vaccines."Nine out of 10 parents believe that vaccination is a good way to prevent diseases for their children," said lead...
Full ArticleComic Rick Green talks about his ADHD, seriously
Friday, February 26, 2010While the world saw him as a successful comic actor and writer, Rick Green was painfully aware of his exhausting struggles – his distractibility, the unfinished work, the unproductive periods. Much in his life didn't make sense to him until he was finally diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. He was 47. Green, who has been a member of The Frantics comedy troupe, writer and host of TVO's Prisoners of Gravity, and co-creator of and performer on The Red Green Show, has ca...
Full ArticleHigh suicide rates are a crying shame
Friday, February 26, 2010An alarming statistic emerged this week, one that demands action. On Wednesday, Eastern Ontario Health Unit (EOHU) reported that the suicide rate in our region (S, D and G and Prescott-Russell) was higher than the provincial average. The difference is astonishing. For men aged 20-44, the rate in our region is 65% higher. For women aged 45-64, the rate is a staggering 75% above average. Suicide rates for girls aged 15-19 is 40% higher. These are totally unacceptable. Our region's higher-than-a...
Full ArticleImage everything to teens
Thursday, February 25, 2010The girls look confident and casual with their hoodies, salt-stained Ugg boots and frequent guffaws of laughter. No body image issues here — or so it seems. But dig under the surface and you’ll see the pre-pubescent girls are already struggling.Like most Canadian pre-teens, they face the mirror every morning with a critical eye.Are their clothes up to snuff? Will the hair and shoes and attitude pass muster with the popular kids at school? What about that roll of “fat” aro...
Full ArticleHorwath calls for action on kids' mental health
Thursday, February 25, 2010Provincial NDP Leader Andrea Horwath is calling for immediate action to rebuild the children's mental health system in Hamilton. Horwath challenged the McGuinty government during question period at Queen's Park yesterday, saying, "Children are in crisis and this government is turning their backs on them." Horwath cited results from a major two-year mapping exercise that showed Hamilton and Niagara families face some of the longest waits in the province for children's mental health services. T...
Full ArticleAround-the-clock crisis help line launched in Pembroke
Thursday, February 25, 2010Young people and their families dealing with a mental health crisis will have around-the-clock, permanent access to professional services. After a 2.5-year pilot, the Child, Youth, and Family Crisis Line for Eastern Ontario was officially launched Wednesday afternoon at the Phoenix Centre for Children and Families, one of nine partners in the integrated crisis response service network. During the pilot, only 85 of the 10,500 calls came from residents of Renfrew County. Phoenix Centre executive...
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