Alberta Youth Mental Health Gaps Found: University of Lethbridge Study | The Canadian News

A recently posted Lethbridge University Study highlights the problems in the care of children and young people with serious mental health problems.

The study began in 2017 and involved interviewing 16 families in Alberta with children under the age of 17 who are facing problems such as depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder and mania.

Dr. Brenda Leung, a member of the U of L Health Sciences department and one of the researchers involved in the study, said the conversations raised several issues.

“We spoke with parents in urban and rural settings, those who had what we consider higher socioeconomic levels,” he said. “What we found was that there were many commonalities in the shared experience between these families.”

Key research findings include a lack of ongoing care within public health, difficulty navigating the complex system, and parents experience distress as a result.

“They all reported very similar experiences and challenges that they had in trying to find an appropriate health care service, trying to find resources, having to be self-advocates so that their children get the proper care,” Leung said.

Cynthia Wandler has a 13-year-old daughter with complex mental health needs. She has struggled to find adequate care for years and left her job five years ago to care for her son and turn to the defense.

“I know there are many other parents who have experiences similar to ours and it is not talked about,” he said.

“We paid for the therapy for her privately, (and) she is linked with a psychiatrist through Alberta Health Services, but the road to get there was very long and very difficult.”

Wandler said one instance involved a school professional directing the family to resources they were not actually eligible for, and they were turned down after spending weeks completing paperwork.

“I hung up the phone and cried, probably for an hour,” he said.

“The people you trust who are aware of the schedule or the resources, they really are not.”

Global News contacted AHS for a response to the study findings. A statement was provided, but it did not directly address the concerns described.

“AHS offers a range of programming and treatment options for children and youth, including youth counseling services through community mental health clinics, specialty and hospital services that help treat mental health issues,” the statement read. .

“Throughout the province we have a total of 111 acute mental health beds for children and young people and 18 independent psychiatric beds for a total of 129 beds; in addition, there are 47 community mental health beds and 56 addiction beds for medium to long-term treatment for children and youth.

“There are more than 135 community mental health and addiction clinics in Alberta that provide intake, assessment, diagnosis, referral and treatment services for children, youth and their families in both urban and rural settings.”

Wandler and Leung hope to shed some light on the apparent problems in the system through this research and have proposed changes such as adding a parent advisory committee and creating a multi-system approach where health care, the school system, and social services all have it. same. information and can collaborate.

“I mean, if it were easy, we wouldn’t have the kind of findings that we have in the study,” Wandler said.