Creating a mental health strategy for Canada
Posted on 08/06/2009 | 5 Comments
Currently, Canada is the only G8 country without a National Mental Health Strategy. Recently, the Mental Health Commission of Canada (MHCC) was established with one of its key priorities to develop a Mental Health Strategy for Canada. As part of the strategy the MHCC will support the development of a framework specific to the needs of child and youth mental health. The proposed framework, entitled Evergreen, will complement and provide child and youth context to the Mental Health Strategy for Canada.
What is Evergreen? Evergreen is a collaborative project that will produce a framework to help improve policy and programming related to child and adolescent mental health across Canada.
What is a mental health framework and why is it important? Think of a framework like a blueprint for a house. If we want to build the best house, we need to create the best plan to design it and hire the best people to build it. Canada’s mental health system is no different. Frameworks help keep everyone on the same page, working together towards a common goal – to develop a mental health system that effectively meets the needs of its consumers.
Who will Evergreen affect? Everyone. There is no health without mental health. A national child and youth mental health framework can be useful to assist provinces, territories and organizations to enhance their child and youth mental health strategies, policies and plans. Evergreen can also help to raise public awareness of the importance of addressing child and youth mental health needs, while helping to decrease stigma associated with mental disorders.
How is Evergreen being created? The Evergreen framework will be collaboratively constructed by professionals, youth, parents and members of the public from all regions across Canada who have expertise, interest or experience with mental health and mental illness. In the end we envision the framework to be among the most comprehensive and scientifically-based child and youth mental health frameworks in the world.
WE NEED YOUR HELP!! To make this framework truly unique and successful we need your input. We need you to tell us what values and principles Canadians want to uphold in relation to mental illness and child and adolescent mental health services. We also need you to help share this initiative with others who can contribute.
The public forum will be online July 1st. When it's ready our site and MHCC will link to it. Until then ... spread the word!
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This is a great set of comments and rings very true.
I totally agree that scientists (just like everyone else) have their biases and foibles. After all, scientists are human beings too! But science is different than scientists.
The scientific method is the most objective frame that we have by which to evaluate and predict. Science is not about finding truth. It is only about being less wrong most of the time. The scientific method (experimental design and mathematics) gives us the ability to test what we believe. The scientific method is not used to prove something is correct, on the contrary, the scientific method is designed to prove that something is not correct! It is designed to test what is called the “null hypothesis”. It takes ideas that come out of left field (or wherever else they come from) and puts those ideas to an independent test.
t does not drive our beliefs. It does however challenge our beliefs. In that way it is self-correcting. Of course scientific inquiry and understanding lives within a wider social context. That is one of the great features of science.
But gravity is gravity, social context notwithstanding. And thus it is nasty, brutish and long. As Brecht said, (something like this) - the purpose of science is to save us from everlasting error.
By Christina Carew on May 11th
You can find us here too!
We would like to say thanks...
Without their help this initiative would not be possible. Thanks for you help.
What people are saying?
Gary Graye said...
Hi.
I read you article and wanted to add to the conversation:
All children and young people, from birth to their 18th birthday, who suffer mental health problems and disorders, deserve to have access to timely, integrated, high quality, multi-disciplinary mental health services to ensure effective assessment, treatment and support, for them and their families.
These multi-agency services can provide early interventions and also meet the needs of children and young people with established or complex problems.
Protocols for referral, support and early intervention are agreed between all agencies.
The needs of children and young people with complex, severe and persistent behavioural and mental health needs are also met through a multi-agency approach. Contingency arrangements are agreed by senior officer levels between health, social services and education to meet the needs and manage the risk associated with this particular group.
Good luck in creating a unique comprehensive and scientifically-based child and youth mental health framework. Keep us posted.
I will also help to promote awareness of your campaign via ‘Twitter’ and other social networks.
Thank you
Regards
Gary Graye
Comment made on August 05th, 2010
Stan Kutcher said...
Thank you for your comments Gary - right on point. We are poised to launch this campaign for July and social media will be a part of the promotion. We welcome any ideas you have to share this project—we want to make it as inclusive and open as possible.
Comment made on August 05th, 2010
James Beglin said...
Thanks to sites like these, there seems to be a greater awareness of teen mental issues. When I grew up the subject was almost taboo, and parents barely acknowledging their children having these problems. I am glad that this issue is in the open where young people can discuss their conditions freely.
Comment made on August 05th, 2010
D. Venn said...
Thanks James. Things are becoming more open but we have a long way to go before mental illness is out of the shadows.
Comment made on August 05th, 2010
Rizki said...
This report estats that The Inquiry recognises the needs of children and young people who are at greater risk of mental health problems due to challenging family or other circumstances. This includes those children and young people with a parent or sibling with a mental or physical illness, disability or alcohol or substance abuse problem Other reports also highlight the needs of siblings. Siblings Australia, the only organisation in Australia to focus on siblings of children with disability or chronic illness, has developed a national and international reputation for its work with families and providers, but cannot gain government funding to continue its work. We have submitted proposals for a number of projects to the federal government but continue to be told there is no money. These children and young people continue to be overlooked by both governments and the community, in spite of us knowing that they have higher rates of depression. Much of the increase in mental health funding still focusses on the crisis end of the spectrum or early intervention, instead of prevention. If we could get in very early with these children (preferably from diagnosis of their brother or sister) the cost savings in the longer term could be immense. It makes no sense.
Comment made on March 13th, 2012
What do you think?