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Navigating the Site

Need help finding a specific topic?

If you’re looking for resources to help you learn more about mental health and mental illnesses, hit the following link:

Educate

If you’re looking to connect with other youth to discuss issues or experiences, hit the following link:

Connect

If you’re in need of assistance or are interested in counselling services, hit the following link:

Help

For immediate assistance contact one of the numbers below:

Kids Help Phone (1-800-668-6868)

Toronto Distress & Crisis Hotline (416-408-4357)

Emergency (911)

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The New Mentality

Link:

http://www.thenewmentality.ca/aboutus/

Overview:

The New Mentality, created in 2007, is an Ontario based initiative designed in part with Children’s Health Ontario to give youth a public voice on matters of mental health. The group engages and connects with youth ages 13-25, who have had their own experience with mental illness and now wish to make an impact on the way mental health is handled in Ontario. Youth-lead groups from across Ontario work with children and youth mental health agencies in their communities to raise awareness of mental health issues, combat stigma, and improve local mental health services. The ultimate goal is to identify major issues in mental health that are faced by Ontario youth and find a collaborative solution to them.

The New Mentality has a Youth Action Committee that uses provincial wide youth consultations to provide policy recommendations on how to improve mental health issues that youth face. The organization facilitates skills building workshops and other collaborative events, such the group’s annual summer “Disable the Label” conference. The New Mentality has groups that meet across the province, with the Toronto chapter meeting at Delisle Youth Services.

Analysis

 The New Mentality provides a space in which youth who have dealt with mental health issues can meet and collaborate on helping to improve existing services that are offered for youth mental health. This type of youth driven resource is important, for it allows those who are using mental health resources to actively influence how those resources are structured and distributed. The perspective of youth is extremely important to mental health issues, as how they perceive specific issues can change what, where, when and how services are provided.

This type of open and welcoming community is also important as a means for youth who have dealt with or are dealing with mental illnesses to become a part of a support group, not just for themselves but for others as well. Community based groups can help provide structure for the afflicted, while providing education and awareness for those who are not.

 

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Teen Mental Health

Link: 

http://teenmentalhealth.org/

Overview:

Teen Mental Health is an online resource, created in part by Dr. Stanley Kutcher, an internationally renowned expert in adolescent mental health. Teen Mental Health is dedicated to improving mental health of youth by providing materials that are based on scientific knowledge that is easy to understand and consume. While they offer training and resources for health professionals, parents, and educators, their online educational materials are aimed specifically at teens.

Teen Mental Health provides in-depth material that is meant to educate youth on the following mental health issues: Mental Disorders, brain injury, suicide, teenage behaviour, the teenage brain, healthy sleep, and understanding self-injury/self-harm. Each of these categories provides detailed answers to general questions about the topic, such as causes, prevention, symptoms, how it relates to mental health and so on. The Mental Disorders section is exceptionally comprehensive. It includes further information on the following illnesses: ADHD, Bipolar disorder, general anxiety, social anxiety, panic disorder, schizophrenia, and depression. Included in topic areas are discussions on the effects of a disorder, the causes, symptoms, and treatment options.

Teen Mental Health also provides information on understanding mental stigma. This is conveyed through a series of first person experience videos. These videos tell the story of different people and their experience with mental illness. Not only do participants talk about their successful battles with different mental illnesses, but they also discuss how stigma and negative attitudes made it especially difficult to cope with their illnesses.

Many learning sections have well organized links to further materials provided by Teen Mental Health on the topic, as well as other external links. Teen Mental Health incorporates a lot of short videos into their presentation of material, which allows for a more engaging educational experience.

Analysis:

Similar to Young Men’s Health, Teen Mental Health is best utilized as an educational resource. It covers several topics that are not included in Young Men’s Health, such as brain injuries, the teenage brain, and teenage behaviour. The inclusion of these topics are important: a large number of young men participate in activities that can result in brain injuries; and having background knowledge on their behaviour and brain can be beneficial for youth. The information on mental illness is also very comprehensive, with advice for seeking treatment, helping another, and living with people who may suffer from a mental disorder.

Inclusion of first person story segments is extremely valuable as it shows other youth who have been diagnosed with mental illness and how they have come to adjust and deal with it. This perspective shows a first hand example of how mental illness can affect someone’s life, and possibly encourage someone living with a similar affliction to seek professional help.

The use of videos and slideshows to present information is also good for youth who would prefer to watch/listen to something, rather than just reading it. While Teen Mental Health doesn’t have any specific materials aimed at assisting young men, it still provides a great wealth of general information on mental health issues and illnesses.

 

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Young Men’s Health

Link

http://youngmenshealthsite.org/

Overview

Young Mens Health is a website, first published in 2008, by the Division of Adolescent and Young Adult Medicine at Boston Children’s Hospital. The purpose of the website is to provide carefully researched health information to teenage boys and young men. Their health guides are created and edited by the directors of Young Men’s Health – both experts in adolescent health – with frequent input from professionals at Boston Children’s Hospital.

Young Men’s Health provides comprehensive guides for topics that fall into five main categories: general health, sexual health, medical conditions, physical health & nutrition, and emotional health. While all of these categories are useful, it is the emotional health topics that are of the greatest interest. The emotional health section provides an alphabetical list of 53 different topics. These topics range from mental illnesses – such as schizophrenia, ADHD, or depression – to different types of relationships – such as abusive, friendly, or sexual. Each guide provides a detailed description of the topic, dealing with different questions young men might have about said topic. They often always give advice for what to do if you are experiencing symptoms of an illness, as well as different types of treatment, including non-medical solutions. What makes these guides so useful is that they have been written to specifically deal with issues that are common or exclusive to young men, so the advice contained within them directly caters to their audience. For some of the more comprehensive topics, such as sexual orientation or suicide, a list of additional resources on the topic are listed within the guide, making it easy for youth to expand their knowledge or search even further.

There are a number of quizzes provided that allow youth to test their knowledge or assumptions about mental health topics.  Finally, there is an “ask us” option, that allows for questions to be submitted for answering by Young Men’s Health staff. Previous frequently asked questions are also posted along with the responses to them.

Analysis

Young Men’s health is a rich and detailed educational resource for young men who are looking to learn about all aspects of mental health. Their guides are very comprehensive, while also being written in a manner that makes it easy to understand the information provided. The primary reason why this resource has been included is because of its perspective. While it is teaching about mental health issues that affect everyone, it has a uniquely male perspective that is directed towards the issues and circumstances that young men commonly face.

While each guide provides in depth information on a topic, it also provides helpful tips on what to do if you are experiencing a certain feeling, such as anger. For those young men who are looking for indirect means of help, this is a great tool. The “ask a question” section is also useful; as it shows what other young men are asking about in regards to mental health. This can help some individuals as it shows that there are other people like them dealing with similar issues. This resource can also be a help to young men who have friends dealing with mental health issues or illnesses, as the guides offer explicit advice on what to do if you have a friend who could be dealing with a mental health issue or illness.

Through an educational tool such as Young Mens Health, it is possible to fight both negative mental health stigma and poor mental health literacy. By having access to a wide range of topics, young men are able to better understand the causes and effects of mental illnesses, as well as what it is like to live with one. Greater understanding equips young men with the ability to combat negative notions of mental health and harmful gender stereotypes. By learning more on these topics, young men can also gain the skills to better understand what they can do as individuals to improve their own mental wellbeing. Knowing what the symptoms or side effects of a mental illness are can lead to young men seeking out professional assistance if they are exhibiting signs of a mental illness.

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Oolagen

Link

http://oolagen.org/are-you-a-young-person-seeking-help/

Overview

Oolagen, founded in 1967, is an accredited, not-for-profit mental health centre located in east Toronto. It is directly associated with the University of Toronto and its partners included the Toronto District School Board, the Children’s Aid and Catholic Children’s Aid Societies, Jewish Child and Family Services and Native Child and Family Services.

Oolagen’s vision and values centre around helping youth understand the unique strengths and skills that they already posses and help them utilize and build upon said abilities to enhance their wellbeing and mental health. They also place great emphasis on bringing families and communities into the fold; making sure that youth understand that natural support systems are a good and necessary thing. Finally Oolagen strives to address social justice issues that may affect their clients, trying to help draw links and solutions to how these issues may impact mental wellness.

One of the unique and extremely beneficial services provided by Oolagen is its free of cost “”What’s up walk-in” service, which is Toronto’s only city-wide adolescent mental health walk-in counseling service. This allows youth to come in without any prior appointment or long waiting period, something that can be a barrier to seeking assistance.

Oolagen also offers a residential live-in program at the Richard Kalesky house for youth aged 14-18. This program combines therapy, partnership, and group participation to help youth build skills and approaches to deal with challenges. The residency approach encourages group and community building.

Finally, Oolagen offers traditional ongoing-counseling services that include: Individual or Family Assessment, Advocacy, Case management, Individual, family and group counseling, Psychiatric consultation, Referral and, Follow-up. They also offer intensive counseling for youth with complex needs or uncommon circumstances.

Analysis

Oolagen is a great resource for a number of different reasons. First, its history and values show that it is an effective and accomplished agency, geared towards helping youth build themselves up. The focus on using support groups is something beneficial to many having troubles with mental health, as many issues or illnesses cause withdrawal or isolation.

The main reason why it has been included as a resource for young men is because of its “What’s up walkin” services. This walk-in counseling service provides an opportunity for young men with a range of mental health issues to talk to professionals without having to go on a long waitlist or book appointments. This ease of access is great as it removes a potential barrier. Though many of the clients attend only one walk-in counseling session, it sometimes only takes one session to provide the assistance that a young person may need.

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Kids Help Phone

Link

https://www.kidshelpphone.ca/Teens/PhoneUs.aspx

Overview

Kids Help Phone, created in 1989, provides toll-free, 24-hour, bilingual and anonymous phone counselling, web counselling, and referral service for children and youth. Services are provided by trained professional counsellors, who focus on building the skills and abilities youth need to improve their emotional health and well-being. Kids Help Phone is the only organization in Canada that provides 24/7 professional support for youth in need.

The website provides links to their phone and web based counselling services. Each service has a list of frequently asked questions, as well as describing what happens when you call. While the web-based service closed in 2015, a database of every question that was asked has been created so that youth may still look up other’s questions and how counsellors responded to them. The forums include the following categories: bullying, dating, emotional health, violence and abuse, family, school, friends, living on your own, and LGBTQ questioning. Kids Help Phone also has a program database (found here), where youth can look for different types of support, including counselling and mental health support, that are close to them.

An extremely detailed ‘Info Booth’ also provides information on a diverse range of topics that youth may be interested in. The emotional health section provides details on 16 different topics, ranging from substance abuse to eating disorders. Each topic provides a brief description on what the subject is, as well as advice on what to do if one or a loved one is experiencing or suffering from that issue or illness.

Kidshelpphone.ca also includes additional online resources, such as games and quizzes, to help youth learn about mental health and other issues in an interactive manner. The website also provides suggestions on how youth can get involved if they wish to help others in need, such as starting a Kids Help Phone School club. This part of the website includes information that deals specifically with young males and asking for help. Kids Help Phone was given grant money to be used specifically to assisting boys, as a survey done by Kids Help Phone showed that 63% of the respondents thought it was harder for guys than girls to reach out because of “the pressure society puts on guys to hide their feelings”.

Analysis

Kids Help Phone serves as a multi-use resource for youth, as it provides assistance, educational information, and additional resources. The primary reason this resources has been included is because of the phone counselling services that Kids Help Phone gets its name from. It provides 24/7, immediate access to professional counselling for youth, as well as help for youth who are looking for services that are geographically close to them.

The professional counselling services offered by Kids Help Phone are important for young men, as they are easy to access, free, and anonymous. This provides fewer barriers for young men to try and get help for mental health issues or illnesses. The referral resources that Kids Help Phone provides also means that youth using Kids Help Phone can possibly be directed to services that are close to them physically. For those that are in need of consistent or prolonged counselling, this resource finder can help direct them to professionals in their area through the assistance of a Kids Help Phone counsellor.

The information and FAQ sections are also extremely beneficial as they provide indirect assistance in the form of educational tools and a shared experience database. For young men to see that their peers are facing issues that might be similar to theirs may comfort them in a sense that they are seeing that they are not alone in their feelings or illness.