Demographic and Clinical Presentations of Youth using Enhanced Mental Health Services in Six Indigenous Communities from the ACCESS Open Minds Network.
Patricia Boksa: ACCESS Open Minds Youth Mental Health Services Research Network, 26632Douglas Mental Health University Institute, Montreal, Quebec, Canada. ORCID
Daphne Hutt-MacLeod: ACCESS Open Minds Youth Mental Health Services Research Network, 26632Douglas Mental Health University Institute, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
Lacey Clair: ACCESS Open Minds Youth Mental Health Services Research Network, 26632Douglas Mental Health University Institute, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
Gregory Brass: ACCESS Open Minds Youth Mental Health Services Research Network, 26632Douglas Mental Health University Institute, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
Shirley Bighead: ACCESS Open Minds Youth Mental Health Services Research Network, 26632Douglas Mental Health University Institute, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
Aileen MacKinnon: ACCESS Open Minds Youth Mental Health Services Research Network, 26632Douglas Mental Health University Institute, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
Meghan Etter: ACCESS Open Minds Youth Mental Health Services Research Network, 26632Douglas Mental Health University Institute, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
Hayley Gould: ACCESS Open Minds Youth Mental Health Services Research Network, 26632Douglas Mental Health University Institute, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
Eva Sock: ACCESS Open Minds Youth Mental Health Services Research Network, 26632Douglas Mental Health University Institute, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
Julie Matoush: ACCESS Open Minds Youth Mental Health Services Research Network, 26632Douglas Mental Health University Institute, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
Norma Rabbitskin: ACCESS Open Minds Youth Mental Health Services Research Network, 26632Douglas Mental Health University Institute, Montreal, Quebec, Canada. ORCID
Clifford Ballantyne: ACCESS Open Minds Youth Mental Health Services Research Network, 26632Douglas Mental Health University Institute, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
Annie Goose: ACCESS Open Minds Youth Mental Health Services Research Network, 26632Douglas Mental Health University Institute, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
Heather Rudderham: ACCESS Open Minds Youth Mental Health Services Research Network, 26632Douglas Mental Health University Institute, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
Vickie Plourde: ACCESS Open Minds Youth Mental Health Services Research Network, 26632Douglas Mental Health University Institute, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
Maria Gordon: ACCESS Open Minds Youth Mental Health Services Research Network, 26632Douglas Mental Health University Institute, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
Lorna Gilbert: ACCESS Open Minds Youth Mental Health Services Research Network, 26632Douglas Mental Health University Institute, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
Vivian R Ramsden: ACCESS Open Minds Youth Mental Health Services Research Network, 26632Douglas Mental Health University Institute, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
Valerie Noel: ACCESS Open Minds Youth Mental Health Services Research Network, 26632Douglas Mental Health University Institute, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
Ashok Malla: ACCESS Open Minds Youth Mental Health Services Research Network, 26632Douglas Mental Health University Institute, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
Srividya N Iyer: ACCESS Open Minds Youth Mental Health Services Research Network, 26632Douglas Mental Health University Institute, Montreal, Quebec, Canada. ORCID
OBJECTIVE: 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. METHODS: 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. RESULTS: 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. CONCLUSIONS: 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.
