The Failure of Quebec Governmental Mental Health Services for Children

Let's see, we have children in government controlled youth centers, where 80% are under the control of of a psychiatrist. About 67% are on prescription drugs, and 40% are on psychiatric drugs. Are we really surprised at these figures?

Granted, many are from broken homes, etc. and maybe the only practical method they have is to sort of warehouse them and drug them up. (Never mind the cycle of side effects that can drive people crazy)

But these kind of figures sound like the figures of a failed system to me. It's a surprise that the figures aren't worse. And of course, they don't make the connection between the psychiatrists and the high rate of psychiatric prescriptions. If you are hammer, everything looks like a nail.

Taken from this report in the Montreal Gazette.

Quebec children in youth protection services are extremely damaged, warned an author of a report showing nearly 40 per cent are prescribed drugs for psychiatric problems.

Children as young as six years old are medicated to control hyperactivity, aggression, depression and suicidal tendencies, said Pierre Charest, head professional services at Centre jeunesse de Montreal.

[...]

Made public earlier this week, Charest's report, however, strongly recommends finding alternatives to drug therapy, especially for young children.

Commissioned by the provincial health department, the working committee's study on the mental health of children under government care shows a disturbing trend of mental disorders.

The study tracking 3,600 youths in Quebec's youth protection network last year reveals that one in four suffers from multiple mental disorders. The majority are being treated for minor issues while 17 per cent are seriously ill.

Children ages six to 11 years old seem to have the most mental health issues, the report found. About 67 per cent are on prescription drugs.

"The rate of mental illness in group homes is very, very high. It's definitely higher than in the general population," Charest said.

Health professionals welcomed the report, a first of its kind for Quebec.

"For the first time we have a portrait of the Quebec reality," Douglas Hospital child psychiatrist Philippe Lageix said.

"But it's not something new that's popped up suddenly in Quebec."

Children in youth protection represent the most at-risk population for mental illness because of several factors, Lageix explained.

It's a predictable pattern:

"We meet one patient after another and realize that their parents have problems. They are exposed during pregnancy to (drugs, alcohol, cigarettes, malnutrition) and then neglected, then placed.

"They peak on all risks," he said. Those with severe mental health and behaviour problems cannot stay with their own families or be placed in foster care, he added.

But Quebec is not alone. Comparative studies show Ontario, Holland and the United States are dealing with similar issues, Lageix said.

"Very vulnerable youth are getting services from (youth protection) agencies and a lot of them are medicated," Lageix said. "But do we treat too much or not enough? That's a social debate."

Experts suggest health services to youths in centres has improved during the last decade.

In Quebec, nearly 80 per cent are under the supervision of a psychiatrist or other professional despite the shortage of physicians. But 20 per cent are fending for themselves, the report found.

[...]

Among the study's recommendations:

Better screening to evaluate and follow youth with multiple problems, special programs adapted to children with mental health issues, improved training for caregivers and professionals dealing with children at risk, multi-disciplinary teams in place in group homes and more studies to seek alternatives to medication therapy.

Quebec Health Minister Philippe Couillard has endorsed the study's recommendations saying funds are available in the 2007-2008 budget.