Mental health is important. Not just as a matter of individual well-being, but increasingly as a public policy matter as well. And perhaps most important to consider relative to other cohorts is mental health development in youth, as healthy emotional and social development in young people shapes the course of their lives.
A paper from the University of Calgary’s School of Public Policy lays out the context:
“In Canada, 10 to 20 percent of youth may develop mental health concerns. Relative to any other age groups, youth have a higher probability of developing mental illness. Youth mental health concerns underpin both short- and long-term adverse impacts over the lifespan for the individual, on the individual’s family and, on a larger scale, on social and economic costs.”
These impacts are large, and can have broader societal implications, including higher risk of suicide, hospitalizations and hindered relationships, and significant socioeconomic losses. The authors highlight that the costs of adult mental health concerns (most of which manifests in youth) in the Canadian economy totals $50 billion each year, including $42.3 billion in health and social care, along with $6.4 billion in unplanned absences from work, based on 2011 statistics.
Looking at the Albertan landscape, the authors note that there is no province-wide policy for implementation and collection of patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs), self-reported questionnaires that assess the person’s health and well-being from the person’s own perspective.
They recommend that the usage of PROMs in Alberta would help maximize quality and outcomes in youth mental health services as they allow patients and health-care providers to track progress
over time, reducing the health and social costs later in adulthood.
And at a broader systems level, they generate data that can be compiled to evaluate trends, identify value, and improve service overall.
