ACCESS Open Minds Youth Mental Health Services Research Network, 26632Douglas Mental Health University Institute, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
Department of Psychiatry, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
Can J Psychiatry. 2022 Mar;67(3):179-191. doi: 10.1177/07067437211055416. Epub 2021 Nov 19.
In many Indigenous communities, youth mental health services are inadequate. Six Indigenous communities participating in the ACCESS Open Minds (AOM) network implemented strategies to transform their youth mental health services. This report documents the demographic and clinical presentations of youth accessing AOM services at these Indigenous sites.
Four First Nations and two Inuit communities contributed to this study. Youth presenting for mental health services responded to a customized sociodemographic questionnaire and presenting concerns checklist, and scales assessing distress, self-rated health and mental health, and suicidal thoughts and behaviors.
Combined data from the First Nations sites indicated that youth across the range of 11-29 years accessed services. More girls/women than boys/men accessed services; 17% identified as LBGTQ+. Most (83%) youth indicated having access to at least one reliable adult and getting along well with the people living with them. Twenty-five percent of youth reported difficulty meeting basic expenses. Kessler (K10) distress scores indicated that half likely had a moderate mental health problem and a fourth had severe problems. Fifty-five percent of youth rated their mental health as fair or poor, while 50% reported suicidal thoughts in the last month. Anxiety, stress, depression and sleep issues were the most common presenting problems. Fifty-one percent of youth either accessed services themselves or were referred by family members. AOM was the first mental health service accessed that year for 68% of youth.
This report is the first to present a demographic and clinical portrait of youth presenting at mental health services in multiple Indigenous settings in Canada. It illustrates the acceptability and feasibility of transforming youth mental health services using core principles tailored to meet communities' unique needs, resources, and cultures, and evaluating these using a common protocol. Data obtained can be valuable in evaluating services and guiding future service design. Trial registration name and number at Clinicaltrials.gov: ACCESS Open Minds/ACCESS Esprits ouverts, ISRCTN23349893.
在许多原住民社区，青年心理健康服务不足。参与 ACCESS Open Minds（AOM）网络的六个原住民社区实施了策略来转变其青年心理健康服务。本报告记录了在这些原住民地点接受 AOM 服务的青年的人口统计学和临床表现。
四个第一民族和两个因纽特社区为这项研究做出了贡献。寻求心理健康服务的青年回答了一份定制的社会人口学问卷和表现关注清单，以及评估痛苦、自我评估的健康和心理健康以及自杀想法和行为的量表。
来自第一民族地点的数据综合表明，11-29 岁的青年都可以获得服务。女孩/妇女比男孩/男人更有可能获得服务；17%的人认为自己是 LGBTQ+。大多数（83%）青年表示至少有一个可靠的成年人，并与与他们生活在一起的人相处融洽。25%的青年报告说难以支付基本费用。凯斯勒（K10）痛苦评分表明，一半的人可能有中度心理健康问题，四分之一的人有严重问题。55%的青年自评心理健康状况一般或较差，而 50%的青年报告在过去一个月有自杀念头。焦虑、压力、抑郁和睡眠问题是最常见的表现问题。51%的青年要么自己寻求服务，要么由家人转介。AOM 是当年 68%的青年首次寻求的心理健康服务。
本报告首次介绍了加拿大多个原住民环境中寻求心理健康服务的青年的人口统计学和临床特征。它说明了使用针对社区独特需求、资源和文化量身定制的核心原则来转变青年心理健康服务的可接受性和可行性，并使用共同协议对其进行评估。获得的数据可用于评估服务并指导未来的服务设计。Clinicaltrials.gov 上的试验注册名称和编号：ACCESS Open Minds/ACCESS Esprits ouverts，ISRCTN23349893。
