Urgent need to educate elementary-aged children about mental health: Quebec psychiatrists

Concern for youth mental health Dr. Karine Igar-Tua speaks about the importance of educating youth about Mental Health. Newsmaker

MONTREAL – Young people are in dire need of better education when it comes to their mental health, according to the Association des médecins psychiatres du Québec (AMPQ).

The association says one in three young people in Quebec will suffer from a high level of psychological distress.

It notes mental disorders have continuously been on the rise, such as anxiety disorders, which have doubled in the last six years.

Child psychiatrists in Quebec say they’ve noticed an increase in requests for emergency consultations for children in distress, not because of a mental illness, but because of social crisis; for example, a teenager who has suicidal thoughts as a result of a break-up.

Due to the increasing need for help, the AMPQ is launching the Connected Alpha Movement, an initiative to better care about the mental health of young people in the province.

Physicians say requests for mental health services currently far outweigh what the system is capable of supplying.

They say what is needed is the introduction of a mental health course in elementary schools to better educate young people about how to acknowledge and manage their emotions, as well as learn about the causes and risks factors of mental disorders.

The movement focuses on Generation Alpha, the name given by sociologists to people born after 2010.

The AMPQ predicts that these young people will perform jobs that do not yet exist as they will be exposed to artificial intelligence, robots and more.

This generation will, therefore, need to, from an early age, have the tools to manage the psychological impact of digital life.

Several organizations have joined forces with the AMPQ to encourage concrete action in promoting the mental health of young people.

Among them are the Fédération des médecins spécialistes du Québec (FMSQ), the Quebec Pediatric Association (APQ), the Association des spécialistes en médecine préventive du Québec (ASMPQ) and the Fondation Jeunes en Tête.