Nipissing University partners on youth mental health research project
A research study conducted in North Bay is going to examine youth mental health, addictions and trauma and services available in northern Ontario.
Hands The Family Help Network is partnering with Nipissing University on the project.
Trish Mintz, director of child and youth mental health services at Hands, is preparing to look into child and youth concurrent disorders.
"Concurrent disorders are when you have a mental health illness co-according with some kind of substance misuse,” she explained.
“We know that prevalence rates of concurrent disorders are higher than the general population."
The not-for-profit organization and the university received a $100,000 grant from the Mental Health Research Canada and the Knowledge Institute On Child And Youth Mental Health and Addictions organization.
The study will focus on the neuro-psychology related to addictions, look to break stigmas in youth struggling with mental health and addictions and find concrete interventions and harm reduction.
"Then we’re taking that knowledge and putting it into the community. Are lessons learned? How we've built that capacity within our clinicians to better serve youth within our community," said Mintz.
“We want to help frontline staff to build skills, collaborate effectively and provide a common language and understanding of the latest research on the neuroscience of youth addiction.”
Dr. Andrew Weeks, the university’s psychology department chair, will study how trauma and addiction affects brain architecture, development and function.
Weeks said the research will benefit frontline mental health workers who help youth with these concurrent disorders.
"We need to think about that group of people differently when we think about addictions,” he said.
“The other part of it is to evaluate whether those programs that the Hands group is going to be implementing are making a difference."
Research shows that compared to other provinces, adolescents living in Ontario report higher rates of illicit drug use.
“We hope this vital knowledge will strengthen their ability to help these youth and families in need,” Weeks said.
“We have a fantastic lab and team here at Nipissing University and are excited to play an important role in such valuable work in this mental health field.”
Mintz said parents and caregivers in rural communities in northern Ontario face barriers in accessing appropriate services, a lack of clear referral pathways and a disconnect between assessments and interventions.
Additional training is required for professionals to address the complexity of issues for youth presenting with mental health and addiction issues.
o Download our app to get local alerts on your device
o Get the latest local updates right to your inbox
In the District of Nipissing, there is only one youth addiction worker while the District Municipality of Muskoka has four.
"Concurrent disorders should be treated in an integrated way,” said Mintz.
“We would look towards having sustainability built into the project so future clinicians coming into the community would receive that training on concurrent disorders."
The research will take about a year to complete.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Widow looking for answers after Quebec man dies in Texas Ironman competition
The widow of a Quebec man who died competing in an Ironman competition is looking for answers.
Amid concerns over 'collateral damage' Trudeau, Freeland defend capital gains tax change
Facing pushback from physicians and businesspeople over the coming increase to the capital gains inclusion rate, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his deputy Chrystia Freeland are standing by their plan to target Canada's highest earners.
Tom Mulcair: Park littered with trash after 'pilot project' is perfect symbol of Trudeau governance
Former NDP leader Tom Mulcair says that what's happening now in a trash-littered federal park in Quebec is a perfect metaphor for how the Trudeau government runs things.
Wildfire southwest of Peace River spurs evacuation order
People living near a wildfire burning about 15 kilometres southwest of Peace River are being told to evacuate their homes.
World seeing near breakdown of international law amid wars in Gaza and Ukraine, Amnesty says
The world is seeing a near breakdown of international law amid flagrant rule-breaking in Gaza and Ukraine, multiplying armed conflicts, the rise of authoritarianism and huge rights violations in Sudan, Ethiopia and Myanmar, Amnesty International warned Wednesday as it published its annual report.
Train derailed in Sarnia after colliding with a truck
Police are investigating after a transport truck collided with a train in Sarnia.
Fewer medical students going into family medicine contributing to doctor shortage
As some family doctors are retiring and others are moving away from family medicine, there are fewer medical students to take their place.
'It's discriminatory': Individuals refused entry to Ontario legislature for wearing keffiyeh
Individuals being barred from entering Ontario’s legislature while wearing a keffiyeh say the garment is part of their cultural identity— and the only ones making it political are the politicians banning it.
Bodies found by U.S. authorities searching for missing B.C. kayakers
United States authorities who have been searching for a pair of missing kayakers from British Columbia since the weekend have recovered two bodies in the nearby San Juan Islands of Washington state.