Mental health of youth in Ontario: Survey finds one-in-ten students report multiple mental health issues

For immediate release: Monday May 3, 2004 (Toronto, Ontario): One in ten students report experiencing multiple (three or more) mental health issues including symptoms of depression and anxiety, problem drinking, other drug use and anti-social behaviour such as theft, vandalism or violence according to a study released today by the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH). The Mental Health and Well-Being of Ontario Students Report, released during Mental Health Week, presents data from 2003, as well as trends from the past decade.

"What is concerning about this finding is that 10% of the students surveyed are telling us they are experiencing multiple problems," says Dr. Ed Adlaf, research scientist and head of CAMH's Population and Life Course Studies, and Associate Professor, Departments of Public Health Sciences and Psychiatry, University of Toronto, who co-authored the study with research analyst Angela Paglia-Boak, and Drs. Joe Beitchman and David Wolfe. "This new finding reinforces we're on the right track by developing prevention, education and treatment programs which recognize youth who have mental health problems often abuse drugs and alcohol and exhibit anti-social behaviour."

Highlights of the study include:

- Just under one-third of students reported experiencing elevated psychological distress, with females more likely to report this than males (39% vs 22%).

- About 11% of students visited a mental health professional at least once during the past year.

- 33%, or approximately one-third of students have been bullied at school. Just under one-third of students reported taking part in bullying other students.

- One-in-ten students report having low self esteem with females more likely to do so than males (11% vs 7%).

- About 4% of students report signs of pathological gambling, with males more likely to do so than females (6% vs 1%) Internet gambling was reported by about 2% of students.

- Over one-in-eight students had serious thoughts about suicide in the past year, with significantly more females than males reporting this (17% vs 8%).

Dr. Joseph Beitchman, TD Bank Financial Group Chair in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Clinical Director of the Child Youth and Family Program at CAMH says,  "The elevated rates of psychological distress and serious thoughts of suicide in teens between the ages of 12 and 18 indicate that they are more vulnerable than is commonly realized. More attention should be paid to this age group such as more funding for mental health services, added counsellors in schools, and in school and after school support programs to assist distressed youth and help teens cope with their mental health concerns."

The study also revealed that parent-child relationships, parental monitoring and school marks are the most common risk factors related to youth experiencing mental health issues such as depression, thoughts of suicide, pathological gambling and illicit drug use.

"Parental supervision is recognized as a key factor that can moderate adolescent problem behaviour," says Dr. David Wolfe, RBC Investments Chair in Children's Mental Health and Developmental Psychopathology at CAMH. "Don't be afraid to set high standards and have high expectations for your teens regarding their behaviour.  However, it is important to do this while still providing them with an environment of acceptance where the teen's views and individuality can develop freely."

CAMH provides treatment services and has implemented a number of clinical, educational, research and program development initiatives for adolescents with addiction and/or mental health issues. A list of these initiatives and the executive summary of the mental health report is available at www.camh.net.

The mental health and well-being survey results were collected as part of CAMH's ongoing Ontario Student Drug Use Survey (OSDUS) and will continue to be reported every two years. OSDUS spans over two decades, based on 14 surveys conducted every two years since 1977. In the spring of 2003, 6,616 students (grades 7 to 12) from 37 school boards, 126 schools and 383 classes participated in the survey administered by the Institute for Social Research, York University. 

The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health is a Pan American Health Organization and World Health Organization Collaborating Centre and a teaching hospital fully affiliated with the University of Toronto.

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For further information or to arrange an interview, please contact Sylvia Hagopian, Media Relations Coordinator at CAMH, at (416) 595-6015.

 

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