Mental health, or social and emotional wellbeing, is crucial for all children. But in BC, high-quality epidemiological studies show that nearly 95,000 children aged four to 18 years— or an estimated 12.7% — will experience mental disorders.

All children with mental disorders require effective treatments, and many additional children would benefit from effective prevention programs. To inform policymakers about how to address these needs, the Children’s Health Policy Centre has prepared a research report for the BC Ministry of Children and Family Development.

This report summarizes the best available research evidence on effective interventions for preventing and treating 12 of the most common mental disorders (or groups of disorders) affecting children. These include:

1. anxiety disorders
2. attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)
3. oppositional defiant disorder
4. conduct disorders
5. substance use disorders (SUDs)
6. depression
7. autism spectrum disorder
8. obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)
9. bipolar disorder
10. eating disorders
11. posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and
12. schizophrenia

The report identifies effective prevention interventions for eight of these disorders and effective treatments for all 12.

To view the entire report, please see here.