Did You Know?

Australian researchers followed nearly 1,400 children from birth to age 20 to study the relationship between body dissatisfaction and eating disorders. To do so, they evaluated young people’s concerns about weight and shape and parents’ perceptions of their child’s weight. The researchers found that two factors together predicted bulimia and binge-eating disorder by age 20: when parents perceived their child as being overweight at age 10, and when children had high levels of concern about eating, weight and shape at age 14.

Likewise, a different study that tracked more than 1,300 Australian high-school students over one year found that dissatisfaction with shape or weight was a significant predictor for later eating disorders (including both full-criteria and subthreshold levels). As well, a study of more than 1,700 Spanish high-school students found that those with high levels of body dissatisfaction at age 13 had a three times higher risk of developing eating disorders at age 15. Another Australian study assessed nearly 2,000 high-school students over three years and found that teen girls who dieted at a severe level were 18 times more likely to develop anorexia or bulimia (both partial- or full-criteria) than those who did not diet, while teen girls who dieted at a moderate level were five times more likely to develop those disorders.

For more information, see Vol. 17, No. 4 of the Children’s Mental Health Research Quarterly.

Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder affects approximately 1.8 million Canadians, including children and youth. And it doesn’t look the same for everyone.

This October, ADHD advocacy organizations are uniting around the theme “The Many Faces of ADHD” to highlight how ADHD affects people of all genders, ages and races. By sharing diverse experiences of ADHD, they aim to raise awareness, break down stereotypes and reduce stigma.

The ADHD Awareness Month Coalition has compiled resources to answer common questions and address myths. Visit their website to learn more.

Parents and caregivers are essential to helping children with ADHD thrive. Caregivers can help children and youth develop self-regulation skills, and substantial research supports the effectiveness of parent training interventions for childhood ADHD. To learn more, see Vol. 10, No. 4 and Vol. 11, No. 1 of the Children’s Mental Health Research Quarterly.

World Mental Health Day is held annually on Oct. 10. It raises awareness of mental health and advocates for stronger mental health supports. The day also brings global mental health organizations together to mobilize resources and strategies.

This year’s theme, “Access to services – mental health in catastrophes and emergencies,” highlights the urgent need to support people affected by humanitarian disasters. According to the World Health Organization, almost all people affected by emergencies experience psychological distress. However, this distress typically improves over time.

While children and youth often show incredible resilience in times of crisis, it is important to understand how they are impacted by traumatic events and how they can be helped. Traumatic events also occur in everyday life — such as injuries, maltreatment or witnessing the death of a loved one.

Even after children have experienced a serious adversity, it is possible to prevent mental health symptoms from developing — and adding further to their distress and burdens. To learn more about helping children cope with trauma, see Vol. 15, No. 1 of the Children’s Mental Health Research Quarterly.

This week marks two important days that reflect on the legacy and impact of colonialism.

The National Day for Truth and Reconciliation was established as a response to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada’s Call to Action No. 80. It called for a public day of commemoration to honour residential school Survivors. Read all 94 Calls to Action.

The day is held on Sept. 30 to coincide with Orange Shirt Day, a grassroots, Indigenous-led movement that builds awareness of the intergenerational impacts of residential schools. Orange Shirt Day honours residential school Survivors and the children who never returned home. It offers opportunities to reflect on ongoing harms done to Indigenous communities by colonial systems, to recognize the strength of Indigenous peoples and to commit to the idea that “Every Child Matters.”

The International Day of Non-Violence, held on Oct. 2, commemorates the birth of Mahatma Gandhi, the leader of the Indian independence movement. Gandhi led a successful campaign of non-violent resistance to end British colonial rule in India.

Established by the United Nations in 2007, the day is an occasion to “disseminate the message of non-violence, including through education and public awareness.” You can attend a special commemorative event hosted online by the United Nations.

This disorder is characterized by extremely narrowed eating patterns that result in a young person persistently not meeting their nutritional or energy needs. Restricted eating patterns can include a young person avoiding certain foods based on sensory sensitivity, such as a strong reaction to the texture of a food, or a fear of negative outcomes, such as choking.

For more information, see Vol. 17, No. 4 of the Children’s Mental Health Research Quarterly.

Mental health conditions that involve difficulties with eating patterns — such as anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa and binge-eating disorder — cause considerable distress for young people and their families. Recent estimates suggest that 0.2% of 12- to 18-year-olds — or approximately 700 youth in BC — may have these disorders at any given time.

Examining the experiences of more than 17,000 teens and young adults, researchers found that those with anorexia had more than five times the expected mortality rate, and those with bulimia had nearly two times the expected rate. As well, a study that included 15- to 19-year-olds who received care for eating disorders in a hospital in Ontario similarly found mortality rates five times higher than in the general population. Preventing eating disorders is therefore crucial, and childhood is the optimal time to intervene.

For more information, see Vol. 17, No. 4 of the Children’s Mental Health Research Quarterly.

This week marks two important awareness days focused on prevention and community support.

Sept. 9 is International Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) Awareness Day. This day is part of FASD Awareness Month, which was officially recognized by the Canadian government in 2020. It advocates for better diagnosis and support for individuals with FASD, bringing attention to the disorder and highlighting the importance of avoiding alcohol during pregnancy. This year’s theme, Everyone Plays a Part: Take Action!, promotes healthy pregnancies and encourages everyone to work towards building a society that better supports individuals with FASD. To learn more about preventing prenatal alcohol exposure, see Vol. 5, No. 2 of the Children’s Mental Health Research Quarterly.

Sept. 10 is World Suicide Prevention Day. Established in 2003 by the International Association for Suicide Prevention in association with the World Health Organization, this day aims to inspire open and honest discussions about suicide. It promotes a cultural shift from stigma and silence to understanding and support. The day’s core message — that suicide is preventable — encourages families, advocates and communities to engage with policy-makers to ensure suicide prevention remains a public health priority. To learn more about suicide prevention for young people, see Vol. 16, No. 4 and Vol. 17, No. 1 of the Children’s Mental Health Research Quarterly.

A systematic review by the Children’s Health Policy Centre provided promising evidence that transdiagnostic treatments — mental health approaches that treat multiple conditions at once — can address symptoms of two different mental disorders concurrently. These results suggest six implications for policy and practice:

• Use effective transdiagnostic treatments when there is more than one problem. Practitioners regularly encounter children who are experiencing more than one disorder. By using an effective transdiagnostic intervention, each concern can be addressed. Risk Reduction through Family Therapy (RRFT) reduced both substance use and posttraumatic stress symptoms, while Multidimensional Family Therapy (MDFT) reduced both substance use and behaviour concerns, including criminal offending. So these two approaches are a good starting point.

• Learn from young people’s engagement in transdiagnostic treatments. Some research has found that children with concurrent disorders are more likely to drop out of treatment. However, for the studies reviewed where participation was assessed, adolescents randomized to the transdiagnostic treatment completed more sessions than those receiving typical treatments. So, these interventions have the potential to increase treatment completion.

• Encourage parents’ involvement in children’s mental health care. Parents played a crucial role in the two most successful transdiagnostic therapies — RRFT and MDFT. Consequently, involving parents in treatment, beyond just these two therapies, may be beneficial for many young people.
• Ensure practitioners have the time and resources to deliver transdiagnostic treatments well. Practitioners with limited experience delivering transdiagnostic interventions will need time and resources to learn these new approaches and to learn to deliver them with fidelity. Policy-makers can help by ensuring that practitioners have the training and supports they need so children receive effective treatments for all the mental health concerns they face.
• Build on what works. Practitioners will also need to treat children experiencing combinations of disorders not addressed by currently available transdiagnostic treatments. While more research is needed on treating multiple conditions concurrently, practitioners can nevertheless still rely on proven interventions for each individual disorder — delivering both.
• Practise prevention. Concurrent disorders cause added challenges for children. Prevention should therefore be the highest priority — providing effective interventions for individual disorders as well as those that are concurrent. With more widespread use of effective prevention interventions, it may be possible to avert much unnecessary suffering for children and their families.

For more information, see Vol. 17, No. 3 of the Children’s Mental Health Research Quarterly.

Since British Columbia declared a public health emergency in 2016 in response to the overdose crisis, over 16,000 people across the province have lost their lives to overdose.

As people in BC and around the world continue to lose loved ones, this year’s International Overdose Awareness Day focuses on bringing people together to take action under the theme “One big family, driven by hope.” This theme recognizes that overdose affects entire communities and works to break down harmful stigma that prevents people from seeking help.

Held annually on August 31, International Overdose Awareness Day is the world’s largest campaign to end overdose. It is driven by the principle that overdose is preventable, and it advocates for community-wide action. You can access campaign resources on the International Overdose Awareness Day website.

For children and youth, early intervention and substance use prevention programs are showing promise. In an article in The Conversation, researchers from the Children’s Health Policy Centre examined prevention programs that were effective in preventing opioid misuse, as well as other substance use in children and youth. Learn more.

According to the United Nations, half of the people on our planet today are 30 years old or younger. Nurturing the health and success of this significant demographic is key to solving both local and global challenges.

International Youth Day, held annually on August 12, celebrates young people’s achievements and recognizes the challenges they face. Established by the United Nations in 2000, the day also promotes meaningful youth participation in society.

This year’s event focuses on how youth contribute to their local communities and how those contributions can help support global development goals. The celebration recognizes that young people bring creativity and insight to community challenges. It advocates for including youth voices in local planning and decision-making processes.

The day also encourages local and regional governments to engage young people in policymaking and promotes mentorship opportunities to help nurture future leaders.

You can learn more about International Youth Day 2025 on the United Nations website.