Grant: Operating Grant: SPOR iCT Rewarding Success - Travel Awards - Alberta

Between 2006/07 and 2013/14, rates of Emergency Department (ED) visits by adolescents in Canada for mental disorders increased by 58%, with stable ED usage for other conditions, and the largest increases accounted for by mood and anxiety disorders[2].The urgent need to provide better access and services, coupled with Alberta's health care budget constraints require innovative and cost-effective solutions to delivering addiction and mental health care. We propose to implement and rigorously evaluate the use of known-effective eMental Health (eMH) services - delivered via the Internet or other innovative technologies - to speed access and improve delivery to adolescents and young adults, including people of indigenous origin, with mental health and addiction issues. This initiative addresses all of Alberta's priorities (Addiction and Mental Health, IM/IT, Workforce, Shifting Care to the Community). eMH innovations will target the three most commonly occurring mental disorders in youth and young adults including anxiety, mood, and substance use disorders.. Interventions will include: 1) Online Peer-to-Peer and Family Support 2) Internet-based Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, and 3) Internet-Based Screening and Brief Intervention. We will use implementation science methods to ensure all stakeholders participate in study design, achieve consensus around how clinical services are delivered, and align policies for eMH innovations. Each eMH intervention will be comparatively evaluated using both qualitative and quantitative methods, including pragmatic cluster controlled trial designs. Our implementation co-design process involves training Patient and Community Engagement Research (PaCER) team members (4-5 young adults/youth) as ongoing partners in the research and implementation process. They will define outcomes and activity most relevant to people with addiction and mental health needs.