Happy Canada Day!!

Canada has a proud history of valuing health care as part of the fabric of this country and as a basic right for all citizens. However, despite our commitment to overall health care, our attention to mental health care is overdue.

In Canada, approximately 1 in 5 children and adolescents experience some form of mental disorder. Most major mental disorders begin prior to the age of 25, making this period a critical time for the promotion and treatment of mental health problems.

One of the key initiatives of the Mental Health Commission of Canada is to develop a Mental Health Strategy for Canada. As part of the strategy the Child and Youth Advisory Committee of the Mental Health Commission of Canada will support the development of a framework specific to the needs of child and youth mental health.

We need your help!!

We invite all Canadians to share their thoughts and opinions in an online survey about values and principles relating to child and youth mental health.

TAKE THE SURVEY NOW

The survey will take about 30 minutes to complete (but you can save your answers and come back to it at any time).

It is important that we get the thoughts and opinions from as many different people as possible. Please pass this information along to your network, family, friends, or anyone who you think should join this consultation.

From the Mental Health Commission of Canada:

Canada is the only G8 country without a mental health strategy. The Mental Health Commission of Canada has been given the responsibility to work with Canadians to address this gap.

The first step is to work out shared goals to guide the development of a mental health strategy. The Commission is seeking public and stakeholder input on the eight goals that are set out in the document “Toward Recovery and Well-being- A Framework for the Mental Health Strategy for Canada”.

This draft framework document proposes a vision of WHAT a transformed mental health system should look like. Your input will help to finalize the draft document, and to set the stage for developing a detailed roadmap for HOW to achieve the eight goals it contains.

To participate online, go to http://mentalhealthcommission.ca and follow the links for stakeholder consultation or public consultation.

Your contribution to this exercise is important: it is only by working together that we will keep mental health issues out of the shadows – forever.

This online consultation is being hosted by the Mental Health Commission of Canada – an independent, not-for-profit organization dedicated to improving the health and social outcomes of people living with mental health problems and illnesses as well as to promoting the mental health and well-being of all Canadians.