A Provincial Comparison of Youth Mental Health in Nova Scotia and Ontario

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According to the World Health Organization (WHO), mental health can be defined as “state of well-being in which an individual realizes his or her own abilities, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and is able to make a contribution to his or her community” (para. 1). In today's society, mental health is being more openly discussed and across Canada, efforts are being made to help those with mental health issues. Children and youth are of particular interest, as emotional and social development during these stages of life lay the groundwork for mental health resiliency throughout life (Mental Health Commission of Canada, n.d.)

During our exploration of multi-level health models, Kelly and I were interested in the socio-ecological model of health. We have chosen to look at policy and community level influences on children and youth mental health in Nova Scotia and Ontario. I will be describing Nova Scotia' mental health initiatives.

At the policy level, Nova Scotia’s Department of Health and Wellness provides provincial programs for mental health and addiction. In 2003, Standards for Mental Health Services in Nova Scotia were released to the public with the purpose of reducing variation among delivery of quality services across the province, while maintaining flexibility to adapt approaches to unique district, community and organization conditions. (Government of Nova Scotia, 2003). Programs and services that cater to children and youth with mental health concerns in Nova Scotia include:

• IWK Mental Health

• Nova Scotia Health Authority

• Mental Health Crisis Line

• SchoolsPlus

• Strongest Families Institute

• Kids Help Phone

• 811

• The Schizophrenia Society of Nova Scotia

• Laing House

• Teen Mental Health

(Nova Scotia Department of Health and Wellness, n.d.)

SchoolsPlus is of particular interest, as it is established in many schools across the province, where children and youth have access during their normal routine without making a dedicated trip to a facility. SchoolsPlus have facilitators and community outreach workers that act as liaisons between the school and community. Their goal is to advocate, coordinate, and expand services for students and families (Nova Scotia Department of Education and Early Childhood Development, n.d.) Figure 1 represents the SchoolsPlus locations across Nova Scotia. As shown in the figure, many areas have access to the program, however those in more rural communities may not have the same level of access as those in more urban settings.

Figure 1. NS Department of Education and Early Childhood Development, NS SchoolsPlus Sites – Overall. [map]. Scale not given, Government of Nova Scotia. (n.d.)

In Ontario, there are over 400 agencies offering help to children and youth with mental health and addiction concerns. Children’s Mental Health Ontario (CMHO) is the association that represents and supports 85 accredited providers of child and youth mental health treatment services to Ontario children and youth. Funding comes from three different government bodies:

• Ministry of Education (school-related programs and services),

• Ministry of Child and Youth Services (community-based treatment programs)

• Ministry of Health (medical care and doctors).

Source: Ontario’s Comprehensive Mental Health and Addictions Strategy. (2017) Ministry of Children Community and Social services Ontario. Retreived from http://www.children.gov.on.ca/htdocs/English/professionals/specialneeds/mentalhealth/infographic.aspx

Resources and programs available in Ontario include:

• Kids Help phone

• Residential Treatment for intensive crisis treatment (Residential Treatment for Children and Youth, CMHA)

• Moving on Mental Health: A system that makes sense for child

- Create and support streamlined pathways to care..

- Define core services in communities, regionally and provincially to help families find

the services they need.

- Establish community lead agencies responsible for providing core services and

collaborating with other services for continuity of care.

- Create a new funding model to recognize individual communities

- Build a legislative and regulatory framework so all community agencies a held to the

same standard f care regardless of where they are located in the province.

• Open Minds, Healthy Minds. Ontario's Comprehensive Mental Health and Addictions Strategy.

• Mental Health and Wellness Services for Indigenous Children and Youth

From a community perspective, primary care physicians and teachers are the first to identify mental and developmental health issues. The following are examples of community based programs that are being implemented in various areas of Ontario:

• School Mental Health Assist (SMH-ASSIST).

- A program intended to help school boards promote student mental health and

well-being, primarily by providing training to teachers.

• Initiative for the Ontario Centre of Excellence for Child and Youth Mental Health.

• Community partnership in Mental Health – Peel Region (McAdam, 2018)

• Where to Start

• Parents for Children's Mental Health

• Ways Mental Health Support

• Ontario College of Teachers Professional Advisory for Supporting Mental Health

• Multicultural Mental Health Resource Centre

Children's Mental Health Ontario. (2017). Infographic. Retrieved from:https://www.facebook.com/kidsmentalhealth/photos/a.341044095947269/1539063022812031/?type=3&theater

Nova Scotia References:

Government of Nova Scotia. (n.d.). Standards for Mental Health Services in Nova Scotia. Retrieved June 21, 2019, from https://novascotia.ca/dhw/publications/MHS_Standards.pdf

IWK Health Centre. (n.d.). Mental Health and Addictions. Retrieved June 21, 2019, from http://iwk.nshealth.ca/mental-health

Laing House. (n.d.). Welcome to Laing House. Retrieved June 21, 2019, from https://www.lainghouse.org/

Mental Health Commission of Canada. (n.d.). Children and Youth. Retrieved June 21, 2019, from https://www.mentalhealthcommission.ca/English/what-we-do/children-and-youth

Mental Health Crisis Line. (n.d.). Make the Call. Retrieved June 21, 2019, from https://www.crisisline.ca/

Nova Scotia Department of Education and Early Childhood Development. (n.d.). NS SchoolsPlus Sites – Overall. [map]. Scale not given, Government of Nova Scotia. Retrieved June 21, 2019, from https://www.ednet.ns.ca/schoolsplus/files-schoolsplus/schoolsplus_province.pdf

Nova Scotia Department of Health and Wellness. (n.d.). Services for Children and Youth. Retrieved June 21, 2019, from https://novascotia.ca/dhw/mental-health/children-and-youth.asp

Nova Scotia Health Authority. (n.d.). Mental Health and Addictions. Retrieved June 21, 2019, from http://www.nshealth.ca/

Province of Nova Scotia. (n.d.). Helpful Websites. Retrieved June 21, 2019, from https://811.novascotia.ca/

Schizophrenia Society of Nova Scotia. (n.d.). Home. Retrieved June 21, 2019, from http://ssns.ca/

Teen Mental Health. (n.d.). Home. Retrieved June 21, 2019, from http://teenmentalhealth.org

World Health Organization. (2014, August 15). Mental health: A state of well-being. Retrieved June 21, 2019, from https://www.who.int/features/factfiles/mental_health/en/

Ontario References:

Brown, J. (2018, June 08). Innovation Initiatives 2018. Retrieved June 21, 2019, from http://www.excellenceforchildandyouth.ca/blog/innovation-initiatives-2018

Kids Help Phone. (n.d.) Retrieved June 23, 2019, from https://kidshelpphone.ca/

Marwaha S., Izenberg D. (2018) Why are kids waiting so long for mental health services?

 Health debate. Retrieved June 23, 2019, from https://healthydebate.ca/2018/05/topic/waitlist-childrens-mental-health-ontario

Mcadam K., Dobson W., Morales R., French S. (2018). Understanding the Determinants of the Mental Health of School-aged Children and Youth A Rapid Review. Retrieved June 18, 2019, from www.peelregion.ca/health/library/pdf/rapid-reviews/mental-health-framework-child-youth.pdf

Mental Health and Wellness Services for Indigenous Children and Youth. Canadian Mental Health Association, Ontario Chapter. Retrieved June 23, 2019, from https://ontario.cmha.ca/documents/mental-health-and-wellness-services-for-indigenous-children-and-youth/

Mental Health Services for Children and Youth, 2019. Retrieved June 22, 2019, from https://www.ontario.ca/page/mental-health-services-children-and-youth

Mental Health (2019). Ministry of Education Ontario. Retrieved June 23, 2019, from http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/parents/mentalhealth.html

Ministry of Children and Youth Services, Communications and Marketing Branch. (n.d.). Ministry of Children and Youth Services. Retrieved June 21, 2019, from http://www.children.gov.on.ca/htdocs/English/professionals/specialneeds/momh/momh.aspx

Ministry of Health and Long Term Care.(2011). Open Minds, Health Minds. Retrieved June 23, 2019, from http://www.health.gov.on.ca/en/common/ministry/publications/reports/mental_health2011/mentalhealth.aspx

Multicultural Mental Health Resource Centre. (2019). Retrieved June 23, 2019, from http://www.multiculturalmentalhealth.ca/en/services/local-community-organizations/ontario/

Parents for Children's Mental Health (2019). Retrieved June 23, 2019, from http://www.pcmh.ca/

School Mental Health Ontario. (2019) Retrieved June 22, 2019, from https://smh-assist.ca/

Supporting Student’s Mental Health – Professional Advisory. (2019) Ontario College of Teachers. Retrieved June 23, 2019, from https://www.oct.ca/Home/Resources/Advisories/Mental%20Health

Ways Mental Health Support. (2019) Retrieved June 23, 2019, from https://ways.on.ca/

Where to Start. (n.d.) Access to Mental Health Service for Children and Youth. Retrieved June 23, 2019, from https://wheretostart.ca/