The CIHR website features an article about ACCESS Open Minds, an ambitious, country-wide research Network funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research and the Graham Boeckh Foundation, through the Canada's Strategy for Patient-Oriented Research (SPOR). Its goal is to transform mental health care so that children, Adolescents and young adults aged 11 to 25 are Connected with Community-driven, Early, Strengths-based and Stigma-free Services. Directed by Ashok Malla, this program aims to address a shortcoming in the mental health services in Canada, as it is estimated that only 20-25% of children suffering from mental health issues in the age group targeted by the ACCESS program receive the help they need.
"The system doesn't work for the age group we're targeting.The way services are currently organized is for younger children or older adults. "
says principal researcher Dr. Ashok Malla, of the Douglas Hospital Research Centre.
Read the full feature on the CIHR website: Youth and mental health: developing a brighter future