Southern Alberta

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Mental health and social program usage: analyses for integrated mental health hubs
(PolicyWise for Children & Families, 2019-07-19) Scott, Allison; Parker, Naomi; Salt, Valeri; Brown, Kyla; Piatt, Carley; Scott, Cathie; Cui, Xinjie
In 2019, Alberta is creating integrated mental health hubs to support the well-being of youth. This report describes the proportion of youth (11 to 24 years old) between 2005/06 and 2010/11 who received mental health diagnostic codes in Alberta and their experiences with provincial services. This report found that (1) the proportion of youth who received diagnostic codes for a mental health condition was 20% overall, but highest (30%) in females 19-24 years old, (2) youth who received a mental health diagnostic code were more likely to have received services from a social program, be involved in the criminal justice system, and have indicators of substance abuse and self-harm behaviours, and (3) between 30% and 45% of older female youth with mental health diagnostic codes experienced pregnancy at least once during the report period. In addition, the report profiled specific service use information about three target community sites for the implementation of integrated mental health hubs. These findings provide policy-relevant evidence that public authorities may consider as they seek to better support children with mental health conditions and create integrated mental health hubs.