There is help for children and youth up to the age of 18 who have social, emotional, behavioural or psychiatric problems, and their families or caregivers.

The most common mental health problems for children and youth are:

• anxiety
• depression
• conduct disorder
• Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (AD/HD) - also known as Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD)
• self harm

Mental health services

Child and youth mental health services and supports provide a range of planned, multidisciplinary interventions for children, youth and their families. These services and supports include:

• intake and assessment
• group, individual and family counselling
• day treatment programs which provide community based outpatient services for those coping with anxiety, depression and other problems
• crisis intervention including multi-disciplinary quick response in the home and community
• telepsychiatry which provides consultation to children, youth and their families in rural, remote and underserved areas and builds capacity at community agencies by providing education and training to clinical staff.

These services are provided to children who may have a range of emotional behavioural and/or psychiatric problems. They are delivered by social workers, psychologists, psychiatrists and other mental health professionals in:

• dedicated children's mental health treatment centres
• both secure and open custody youth justice facilities
• out-patient clinics providing individual and group treatment for problems such as anxiety and depression (excluding eating disorders and addiction problems)
• residential settings both non- and for profit, and
• other multi-service community agencies.

These services may be accessed directly by children, youth and their families through a child and youth mental health agency or through a community access mechanism. Mental health services are also provided to children through the child welfare or youth justice systems.

Child and youth mental health services are also provided by the following ministries:

• The Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care provides hospital-based services, addictions and eating disorder programs, as well as supportive housing for those in conflict with the law who have mental health issues.
• The Ministry of Education provides services through school-based psychologists and social workers, as well as through the provision of educational services to those admitted to care, custodial or correctional facilities (often referred to as Section 23 programs).

The Ministry of Children and Youth Services also directly operates two child and youth mental health centres:

• Child and Parent Resource Institute in London
• Thistletown Regional Centre in Toronto

How to apply

Services are available to children and youth up to the age of 18 who are experiencing social, emotional, behavioural or psychiatric problems, and their families and caregivers.

For more information, contact your local regional office of the Ministry of Children and Youth Services. They can help you find your local mental health centre.

Learn more

There are also many on-line resources. You may wish to visit the following websites:

• Children's Mental Health Ontario
• Provincial Centre of Excellence for Child and Youth Mental Health
• Canadian Mental Health Association
• Centre for Addiction and Mental Health
• American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
• The Centre for Suicide Prevention
• The Canadian Health Network
• National Eating Disorder Information Centre
• Offord Centre for Child Studies
• Ontario Federation of Indian Friendship Centres