Research shows that the average overall community prevalence rate for mental disorders in children and youth is 15%.

This means that in BC, approximately 140,000 children and youth experience mental disorders causing significant distress and impairing their functioning at home, at school, with peers, or in the community.

These mental disorders include any anxiety disorder, conduct disorder, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, any depressive disorder, substance abuse, pervasive development disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, schizophrenia, Tourette’s disorder, any eating disorder and bipolar disorder.

Information for Kids

The Youth in BC website has resources for youth that include a phone line for help.  Here’s what they say:

You might find some comfort in knowing that other people also experience problems that seem overwhelming and they do find a way to reduce the emotional pain that they are feeling.

Over time, most people manage to get through it. So can you.

The first way to help yourself do this is to increase your coping strategies. Remember that there are always many different ways to deal with problems. You may not have considered all the alternatives. Finding yourself the best resources available to help you is the first step toward finding a solution for you.

Before you decide to do anything, use the resources and links below, and talk or write to one of our listeners - they can help you find new strategies and solutions for coping with problems.

You don’t have to cope with your feelings alone. 

Youth in BC

Information for Parents:

The Kelty Resource Centre is a provincial resource centre working to link children, youth and their families with appropriate resources in all areas of mental health and addictions. In addition, they also serve the resource needs of adults with an eating disorder. If you’re looking for information or have a question on how to connect with mental health resources, this is a great place to start.

Posted on this website is the BC government’s recent report, Child and Youth Mental Health Plan for BC – Progress Report 2008. 

The Child and Youth Mental Health website also has a great set of links if you need help.

Children’s Mental Health Ontario has a good summary of the 7 most common mental health disorders in children:

The U.S. National Institutes of Health and the U.S. National Library of Medicine offer lots of resources for parents wanting to educate themselves about mental illness.

Simon Fraser University produces the Children’s Mental Health Research Quarterly.

Out of the Shadows at Last: Transforming Mental Health, Mental Illness and Addiction Services in Canada: The Honourable Michael J. Kirby, Chair.