Youth antidepressant prescriptions have skyrocketed and it's revealing some important issues about the mental-health-care system in Ontario.

Max's family has questions about the risks of these antidepressants for young people. Max was 19 years old when he first received a prescription for his mental health. A month later, Max ended his life. Now, his family wants to know more about the threshold to be prescribed an antidepressant.   

In Ontario's mental-health crisis, the number of young people prescribed antidepressants jumped by 224 per cent between 2009 and 2019. Host Tiffany Lam digs into the use of prescription medication in mental-health care for youth struggling with anxiety, depression, and other mental-health issues, and where the trend is now. 

What should families look out for if a loved one starts this kind of treatment? What do latest trends signal more broadly? What happens when we rely too much on medications to treat youth-mental-health problems? What are the side effects? How will pharmaceutical solutions to mental-health challenges change in the future?

This episode of In Our Heads explores studies of psychiatric medications, how the brain reacts to them and the future of pharmaceutical mental-health treatment.

Read the transcript: https://www.tvo.org/article/how-and-when-should-teens-be-prescribed-antidepressants

--

If you, or someone you know, is struggling with mental health, visit any of the following resources for support:

Wellness Together Canada

https://www.wellnesstogether.ca/en-CA

To connect with a mental health professional one-on-one:
call 1-888-668-6810 or text WELLNESS to 686868 for youth
call 1-866-585-0445 or text WELLNESS to 741741 for adults

Kids Help Phone

Call 1-800-668-6868 (toll-free) or text CONNECT to 686868.

The Government of Ontario’s Mental Health Support Resources

https://www.ontario.ca/page/find-mental-health-support

--

Donate to TVO: http://tvo.org/give

Stay up to date with what’s happening in Ontario: https://www.tvo.org/

Listen to other TVO podcasts: https://www.tvo.org/podcasts

Follow TVO on social media:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wearetvo/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/tvo

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TVO

Subscribe to TVO Media Education Group newsletters: https://www.tvo.org/newsletters

Get the TVO Today app:

App Store: https://apps.apple.com/ca/app/tvo-today/id1616182112

Google Play https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.tvo.tvomediaapp&pli=1

Youth antidepressant prescriptions have skyrocketed and it's revealing some important issues about the mental-health-care system in Ontario. Max's family has questions about the risks of these antidepressants for young people. Max was 19 years old when he first received a prescription for his mental health. A month later, Max ended his life. Now, his family wants to know more about the threshold to be prescribed an antidepressant.    In Ontario's mental-health crisis, the number of young people prescribed antidepressants jumped by 224 per cent between 2009 and 2019. Host Tiffany Lam digs into the use of prescription medication in mental-health care for youth struggling with anxiety, depression, and other mental-health issues, and where the trend is now. What should families look out for if a loved one starts this kind of treatment? What do latest trends signal more broadly? What happens when we rely too much on medications to treat youth-mental-health problems? What are the side effects? How will pharmaceutical solutions to mental-health challenges change in the future? This episode of In Our Heads explores studies of psychiatric medications, how the brain reacts to them and the future of pharmaceutical mental-health treatment.
Read the transcript: <a href="https://www.tvo.org/article/how-and-when-should-teens-be-prescribed-antidepressants">https://www.tvo.org/article/how-and-when-should-teens-be-prescribed-antidepressants</a>
--
If you, or someone you know, is struggling with mental health, visit any of the following resources for support:
Wellness Together Canada
<a href="https://www.wellnesstogether.ca/en-CA" aria-label="opens in a new window">https://www.wellnesstogether.ca/en-CA</a>
To connect with a mental health professional one-on-one:
<ul>
<li>call 1-888-668-6810 or text WELLNESS to 686868 for youth</li>
<li>call 1-866-585-0445 or text WELLNESS to 741741 for adults</li>
</ul>
Kids Help Phone
Call 1-800-668-6868 (toll-free) or text CONNECT to 686868.
The Government of Ontario’s Mental Health Support Resources
 <a href="https://www.ontario.ca/page/find-mental-health-support" aria-label="opens in a new window">https://www.ontario.ca/page/find-mental-health-support</a>
--
Donate to TVO: <a href="http://tvo.org/give">http://tvo.org/give</a>
Stay up to date with what’s happening in Ontario: <a href="https://www.tvo.org/">https://www.tvo.org/</a>
Listen to other TVO podcasts: <a href="https://www.tvo.org/podcasts">https://www.tvo.org/podcasts</a>
Follow TVO on social media:
Instagram: <a href="https://www.instagram.com/theagendatvo" aria-label="opens in a new window">https://www.instagram.com/wearetvo/</a>
Twitter: <a href="https://twitter.com/tvo" aria-label="opens in a new window">https://twitter.com/tvo</a>
Facebook: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/TheAgenda" aria-label="opens in a new window">https://www.facebook.com/TVO</a>
Subscribe to TVO Media Education Group newsletters: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/redirect?event=video_description&amp;redir_token=QUFFLUhqbHJqcWMyMmRqN3ZvMXh5R3dIRnNNUXVWU0trQXxBQ3Jtc0tsdGZlb25WdFRERmRZS2dUMTkwSkpTWm00bElzdFd6MmVpbno0QUIzV1lQazhEVVZGVFRmS2tFUkJfRVQ5QUpmaXUzRndsVE1aYXdXdjBHc2Zrbzl0NTYyZDBHVHUwcU13RXpxc0RZUlE0MkRBMjd3Zw&amp;q=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.tvo.org%2Fnewsletters&amp;v=3I3I3xhX1AE" aria-label="opens in a new window">https://www.tvo.org/newsletters</a>
Get the TVO Today app:
App Store: <a href="https://apps.apple.com/ca/app/tvo-today/id1616182112" aria-label="opens in a new window">https://apps.apple.com/ca/app/tvo-today/id1616182112</a>
Google Play <a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.tvo.tvomediaapp&amp;pli=1" aria-label="opens in a new window">https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.tvo.tvomediaapp&amp;pli=1</a>

Canadian youth are living through what professionals are calling a mental health crisis. Is this crisis unique to the current generation coming of age? Or are we finally acknowledging mental health in more nuanced ways? In partnership with the Investigative Journalism Bureau and the Toronto Star, In Our Heads sheds light on this urgent public health issue through the stories of young people with lived experiences, as well as policy experts and professionals hoping to support them. Hosted by Tiffany Lam.

Canadian youth are living through what professionals are calling a mental health crisis. Is this crisis unique to the current generation coming of age? Or are we finally acknowledging mental health in more nuanced ways? In partnership with the Investigative Journalism Bureau and the Toronto Star, In Our Heads sheds light on this urgent public health issue through the stories of young people with lived experiences, as well as policy experts and professionals hoping to support them. Hosted by Tiffany Lam.

Advertisement