Did You Know?

The United Nations’ Universal Children’s Day, which was established in 1954, is celebrated on November 20 each year to promote international togetherness and awareness among children worldwide. UNICEF, the United Nations Children’s Fund, promotes and coordinates this special day, which also works towards improving children’s welfare.

The original text promoting this special day reads:

• The child must be given the means requisite for its normal development, both materially and spiritually
• The child that is hungry must be fed, the child that is sick must be nursed, the child that is backward must be helped, the delinquent child must be reclaimed, and the orphan and the waif must be sheltered and succored.
• The child must be the first to receive relief in times of distress.
• The child must be put in a position to earn a livelihood and must be protected against every form of exploitation.
• The child must be brought up in the consciousness that its talents must be devoted to the service of its fellow human beings.

But in a report published earlier this year in the journal Evidence-Based Mental Health,  the Children’s Health Policy Centre estimated that one in eight children have mental disorders at any given time, causing symptoms and impairment, therefore requiring treatment. Yet even in high-income countries, most children with mental disorders are not receiving services for these conditions. The report discusses the implications for this situation, particularly the need to substantially increase public investments in effective interventions. It also discusses the policy urgency, given the emerging increases in childhood mental health problems since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Readers can get access to the report, here.

Effective prevention programs are particularly crucial to reduce the number of children in Canada needing mental health treatment services. Yet despite growing research evidence on effective programs, prevention efforts remain modest in many jurisdictions. This is not necessarily due to a lack of resources. Overall, between the government, insurance and individual citizens, Canadians spend an estimated $254 billion on health annually, or about $6,800 per person. But less than 6% of this spending goes toward public health, including prevention — with even less going toward the prevention of childhood mental disorders. For more information see Vol. 14, No. 1 of the Children’s Mental Health Research Quarterly.

An estimated 13% of children and youth in Canada have mental disorders at any given time, and most do not receive mental health care. Therefore, many more young people need to be reached. Taking a comprehensive public health approach is the best strategy for meeting these needs. Such a strategy involves addressing social determinants of mental health, including avoidable adverse childhood experiences; promoting healthy development for all children; preventing mental disorders in children at risk; providing treatment for all children with mental disorders; and monitoring outcomes. For more information see Vol. 14, No. 1 of the Children’s Mental Health Research Quarterly.

Nicole Catherine — Scientific Director and Co-Principal Investigator for the BC Healthy Connections Project and Canada Research Chair Tier II nominee — has just been named recipient of a $25,000-Partnership Engage Grant from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada.

The grant will enable Catherine to partner with the Surrey-based Elizabeth Fry Society of Greater Vancouver, to explore the strengths and challenges facing their children and families. The team will recruit 40 expectant and new mothers accessing Elizabeth Fry programs and services such as shelters, food banks and mental health supports.

Mothers will be asked about their perceived barriers to engaging in a potential new parenting program — for example, whether they feel comfortable and included, whether they work irregular hours, or can afford transport. The project will support training for a graduate student in the Faculty of Health Sciences, and will involve a project Advisory Group involving members of the provincial government, local mother-child-serving organizations, and peer-workers who are mothers themselves.

The project, which is scheduled to finish in May 2022, is expected to help Elizabeth Fry Society design responsive parenting programs to better support children and families experiencing disadvantage.

A systematic review conducted by the Children’s Health Policy Centre made five recommendations for practitioners and policy-makers to consider when trying to prevent problematic substance use. They were:

• Consider underlying factors. While targeted prevention efforts should include youth with early substance use, other underlying factors should also be considered and addressed.
• Weigh the value of short programs. For some youth, very brief interventions may curtail problematic substance use.
• Tailor interventions to the level of adversity. Some youth have experienced very serious adversities, such as child maltreatment necessitating foster care, and may require more intensive interventions.

• Recognize the value of school-based delivery. Schools can be a good venue for targeted prevention programs.
• Address youth substance use with a comprehensive strategy. Intervention efforts need to be part of a larger public health strategy. For example, by addressing social determinants, such as family socio-economic disadvantage, risks that  contribute to substance problems for young people can be reduced.

For more information, see Vol. 13, No. 4 of the Children’s Mental Health Research Quarterly.

Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder or ADHD affects children of every age, gender, IQ, religious and socio-economic background. During October — which is ADHD awareness month — the Children’s Health Policy Centre would like to remind readers that while medication is often seen as a first resort, there is evidence supporting child Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), behavioural therapy and neurofeedback. Unlike medications, these psychosocial treatments have the added advantage of continuing to show benefits months after the intervention ends. Another advantage for both CBT and behavioural therapy is that many practitioners are familiar with these interventions, making their implementation feasible. Child CBT and behavioural therapy are therefore highly recommended. For more information, see Vol. 11, No. 1 of the Children’s Mental Health Research Quarterly.

The overall objective of World Mental Health Day — sponsored by the World Health Organization — is to raise awareness of mental health issues around the world and to mobilize efforts in support of mental health. Marked on October 10/21, the day gives  an opportunity for all stakeholders working on mental health issues to talk about their work, and what more needs to be done to make mental health care a reality for people worldwide. A recent article by the Children’s Health Policy Centre — published in the Journal Evidence-Based Mental Health — shows that  estimated one in eight children have mental disorders at any given time, causing symptoms and impairment, therefore requiring treatment. Yet even in high-income countries, most children with mental disorders are not receiving services for these conditions. The article presents the implications of this finding, particularly the need to substantially increase public investments in effective interventions. The article also discusses the policy urgency, given the emerging increases in childhood mental health problems since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. A link to the article can be found here.

Starting in 2019, high-school staff in Vernon, BC, decided there was enough evidence to invest in a substance-use prevention program known as the Preventure program. They began by delivering Preventure to at-risk Grade 8 students in three schools. Early results showed that students had reduced levels of problematic alcohol and cannabis in schools that offered the program, compared with those in schools that did not. The program has now been expanded to all five high schools in the region. For more information, see Vol. 13, No. 4 of the Children’s Mental Health Research Quarterly.

Creating hope through action is the theme of the 18th annual World Suicide Prevention Day, Sept. 10. Endorsed by the World Health Organization, the event works to raise awareness of the risks of suicide and to fund suicide prevention activities around the globe. Suicide is the second-leading cause of death for 12- to 18-year-olds in BC (following motor vehicle accidents). Many suicide-related deaths could be prevented by treating the underlying disorders that put young people at risk — particularly depression and problematic substance use. For more information, see Vol. 3, No. 4 of the Children’s Mental Health Research Quarterly.