Are the Canadian Kids All Right?
Isabelle Boileau and colleagues take a deep dive into the question of youth mental health. Is there a true rise in youth mental health difficulties or are we facing an epiphenomenon from other systemic changes? The clear answer is yes, there is a genuine rise in youth distress.
This is not simply a matter of increased awareness; there is a measurable increase in symptoms, suicidality, and consequently, healthcare system strain.
The authors see the crisis as a direct result of the dramatic environmental shifts our youth are facing (from social media, climate change to economic precarity) and argue that “the biology remains largely the same” .
In short, the ‘principal business of life’ is changing for a generation. The wellness we perceive is changing with it.
This editorial leaves us with many questions:
1. Is “social re-engineering” a viable strategy for turning this tide around? Is social environment the most mutable, malleable target to address this problem?
2. If universal social approaches work, will they help the youth who are already in need of higher levels of care?
4. As the authors argue, the need to prioritize person-oriented interventions like psychotherapy and family-centered care in clinical settings is undisputable: but how do we effectively scale these up? These interventions are – as of today – quintessentially ‘human-in-the-core’ approaches; ‘AI-in-the-loop’ may be acceptable but how good will they be without the human core?
So, where do we go from here? Will there be a clear, singular solution?
Read the full article here
By Lena Palaniyappan