Annual Report 2022-2023: Division of Child and Youth Mental Health

Submitted by Dr. Louise Gallagher, Chief, Child and Youth Mental Health Collaborative, and Director, Division of Child and Youth Mental Health

The Division of Child and Youth Mental Health was actively engaged in activities aimed at enhancing mental health care for children and youth in Ontario during the last year.

A key activity that was completed this year was a Division Data Gathering exercise initiated by Dr. Stephanie Ameis during her tenure as Division Director in 2021-2022. This endeavour involved an extensive mapping of clinical services across the Division with the goal of enhancing the information available to clinicians and the general public. The result was the creation of an interactive "mindful map" of services, set to be launched on the Department of Psychiatry website which will be of enormous value to provide information to clinicians and families. We have also been in discussion about extending this exercise to a mapping of inpatient care, building on the success of the inpatient network, CAYACC.

In June 2022, the Division Retreat was held at the University of Toronto Faculty Club, with Dr. Paul Kurdyak as the plenary speaker. His talk, titled "Building New Models of Mental Health Care," shed light on the challenges within Ontario's mental health system. Among other themes, he highlighted the alarming increase in youth mental health-related emergency department visits during the pandemic. Dr. Kurdyak underscored the urgent need for including child and youth mental health within the mandate of the Ontario Health Centre of Excellence for Mental Health. The subsequent panel discussion included insights from Janet McCrimmon of STRIDES, Tatum Wilson from Children's Mental Health Ontario, and Dr. Melanie Barwick, focusing on system-level changes, innovative measurement approaches, organizational capacity, and quality improvement. Overall, the audience and panel members agreed on the importance of collaboration and a holistic approach to addressing child and youth mental health needs and that responsibility lies with all stakeholders to have a greater impact on the future of the mental health system.

Looking ahead to 2023-2024, a research mapping exercise is currently in planning. We aim to create a registry of clinicians and researchers engaged in child and youth mental health in our Division. This valuable information will serve as a communication tool, encourage cross-Division research collaboration, engage early career researchers and help to showcase the extent of excellent research in our Division. Additionally, the Division Executive is currently discussing how we can engage more actively in advocacy and policy development, recognizing the importance of influencing systemic changes to improve child and youth mental health care.

Overall, the Division's activities have demonstrated a commitment to addressing the challenges within the mental health system, promoting innovative approaches, and advocating for improved care for children and youth in Ontario. Through research, education, collaboration, and advocacy, the Division aims to contribute to the development of more effective and accessible mental health services for children and youth.