Post by Dean Robinson on May 4, 2008 9:28:43 GMT -5
Twice as many teens seek help for mental health
SIRI AGRELL
May 2, 2008
www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/LAC.20080502.LMENTALHEALTH02/TPStory/TPEntertainment/Ontario/
The number of young people in Ontario who have visited a mental-health professional nearly doubled in two years, and researchers are giving credit to a surprising influence: celebrities.
According to the Mental Health and Well-Being Report released yesterday by the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, about 21 per cent of students in Grades 7 through 12 surveyed in 2007 reported visiting a mental-health professional at least once during the past year. In 2005, only 12 per cent of students reported visits.
But researchers do not believe the increase means that more young people are suffering from mental-health issues. They say it's because the stigma associated with seeking help is starting to disappear, as young people watch stars such as Britney Spears, Owen Wilson and Amy Winehouse struggle with problems including bipolar disorder, depression and substance abuse.
"I believe it has a lot to do with more and more public cases of mental-health problems by very significant people in our public culture," said Jurgen Rehm, senior scientist at CAMH and a spokesman for the study. "With all the things going on in Hollywood, suicide attempts and problems of substance abuse, of course our daughters and sons are looking there."
Print Edition - Section Front
The Globe and Mail
The research was part of the biennial Ontario Student Drug Use and Health Survey, which polled 6,323 students from 119 schools across the province in 2007.
Answers provided by the students showed that most aspects of youth mental health have remained constant from previous years, making the reported jump in visits to a mental-health professionals stand out.
From 1999 to 2005, the percentage of students reporting they had visited a mental-health professional stayed constant at 12 per cent. Dr. Rehm believes the dramatic increase in 2007 reflects a major shift in cultural attitudes toward mental illness.
"It's a positive sign," he said. "It means that those kids who have a mental-health problem no longer deny going to a mental health professional because of stigma."
But just because more young people are seeking treatment for their problems does not mean those issues have disappeared.
This year's report showed stable but high levels of psychological distress among students, with 31 per cent reporting symptoms of depression, anxiety or social dysfunction.
Thirty-eight per cent of students said they feel constantly under stress, while 28 per cent said they lose sleep because of worrying.
About one in 10 students rated their mental health as poor, and 3 per cent reported a suicide attempt in the past year.
Dr. Rehm said that these issues, while still troubling, do not seem to be growing worse, and are in line with other provinces in Canada.
"The results are not alarming, but indicate that Ontario youth over all show a relatively high degree of distress and potentially self-harming behaviour," Dr. Rehm said.
How these problems are being addressed is harder for researchers to determine.
The survey did not ask students where they go to seek help - to a psychologist, school counsellor or clinic - or whether their treatment is making them feel better.
About 2 per cent of all students report using a crisis helpline to discuss a problem during the past 12 months, and less than 1 per cent said they had been prescribed medication to treat anxiety or depression.
Across Canada, about 5 to 7 per cent of adolescents have a depressive disorder, with young females being the most likely of any age-sex group to report symptoms. Low self-esteem is reported by more than half of Canadian adolescents.
Teen troubles
Findings from the Mental Health and Well-Being Report, part of the 2007 Ontario Student Drug Use and Health Survey performed by the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health.
About 9 per cent of students may have a video gaming problem (symptoms include loss of control, withdrawal and disruption to family or school), with males significantly more likely than females to indicate this problem (16 per cent compared with 3 per cent).
About 12 per cent report their family has been involved with the Children's Aid Society at some point.
Although most students feel safe in their school, about 12 per cent are worried about being harmed or threatened there.
Less than 1 per cent of students report that they have been prescribed medication to treat anxiety in the past year, and about 1 per cent were prescribed medication to treat depression. A further 1.5 per cent were prescribed medication for both depression and anxiety.
The most common symptom experienced by students is the feeling of being constantly under stress (38 per cent), followed by losing sleep because of worrying (28 per cent).
About one in 10 students had serious thoughts about suicide in the past 12 months. About 3 per cent report an attempt in the past 12 months. Females are more likely than males to contemplate suicide and to attempt it.
The percentage of students living in an intact family in 2007 was 77 per cent, down from 82 per cent in 1999.
One-third of students seldom or never discuss problems with their mother. More than half seldom or never discuss problems with their father.
SIRI AGRELL
May 2, 2008
www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/LAC.20080502.LMENTALHEALTH02/TPStory/TPEntertainment/Ontario/
The number of young people in Ontario who have visited a mental-health professional nearly doubled in two years, and researchers are giving credit to a surprising influence: celebrities.
According to the Mental Health and Well-Being Report released yesterday by the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, about 21 per cent of students in Grades 7 through 12 surveyed in 2007 reported visiting a mental-health professional at least once during the past year. In 2005, only 12 per cent of students reported visits.
But researchers do not believe the increase means that more young people are suffering from mental-health issues. They say it's because the stigma associated with seeking help is starting to disappear, as young people watch stars such as Britney Spears, Owen Wilson and Amy Winehouse struggle with problems including bipolar disorder, depression and substance abuse.
"I believe it has a lot to do with more and more public cases of mental-health problems by very significant people in our public culture," said Jurgen Rehm, senior scientist at CAMH and a spokesman for the study. "With all the things going on in Hollywood, suicide attempts and problems of substance abuse, of course our daughters and sons are looking there."
Print Edition - Section Front
The Globe and Mail
The research was part of the biennial Ontario Student Drug Use and Health Survey, which polled 6,323 students from 119 schools across the province in 2007.
Answers provided by the students showed that most aspects of youth mental health have remained constant from previous years, making the reported jump in visits to a mental-health professionals stand out.
From 1999 to 2005, the percentage of students reporting they had visited a mental-health professional stayed constant at 12 per cent. Dr. Rehm believes the dramatic increase in 2007 reflects a major shift in cultural attitudes toward mental illness.
"It's a positive sign," he said. "It means that those kids who have a mental-health problem no longer deny going to a mental health professional because of stigma."
But just because more young people are seeking treatment for their problems does not mean those issues have disappeared.
This year's report showed stable but high levels of psychological distress among students, with 31 per cent reporting symptoms of depression, anxiety or social dysfunction.
Thirty-eight per cent of students said they feel constantly under stress, while 28 per cent said they lose sleep because of worrying.
About one in 10 students rated their mental health as poor, and 3 per cent reported a suicide attempt in the past year.
Dr. Rehm said that these issues, while still troubling, do not seem to be growing worse, and are in line with other provinces in Canada.
"The results are not alarming, but indicate that Ontario youth over all show a relatively high degree of distress and potentially self-harming behaviour," Dr. Rehm said.
How these problems are being addressed is harder for researchers to determine.
The survey did not ask students where they go to seek help - to a psychologist, school counsellor or clinic - or whether their treatment is making them feel better.
About 2 per cent of all students report using a crisis helpline to discuss a problem during the past 12 months, and less than 1 per cent said they had been prescribed medication to treat anxiety or depression.
Across Canada, about 5 to 7 per cent of adolescents have a depressive disorder, with young females being the most likely of any age-sex group to report symptoms. Low self-esteem is reported by more than half of Canadian adolescents.
Teen troubles
Findings from the Mental Health and Well-Being Report, part of the 2007 Ontario Student Drug Use and Health Survey performed by the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health.
About 9 per cent of students may have a video gaming problem (symptoms include loss of control, withdrawal and disruption to family or school), with males significantly more likely than females to indicate this problem (16 per cent compared with 3 per cent).
About 12 per cent report their family has been involved with the Children's Aid Society at some point.
Although most students feel safe in their school, about 12 per cent are worried about being harmed or threatened there.
Less than 1 per cent of students report that they have been prescribed medication to treat anxiety in the past year, and about 1 per cent were prescribed medication to treat depression. A further 1.5 per cent were prescribed medication for both depression and anxiety.
The most common symptom experienced by students is the feeling of being constantly under stress (38 per cent), followed by losing sleep because of worrying (28 per cent).
About one in 10 students had serious thoughts about suicide in the past 12 months. About 3 per cent report an attempt in the past 12 months. Females are more likely than males to contemplate suicide and to attempt it.
The percentage of students living in an intact family in 2007 was 77 per cent, down from 82 per cent in 1999.
One-third of students seldom or never discuss problems with their mother. More than half seldom or never discuss problems with their father.