Grant: Project Grant

Some 20% of youth have mental health/addiction (MHA) disorders, and adolescence is an optimal time to intervene. Yet, youth are challenged to access effective services in a timely way. Provincial, national and international efforts are under way to build community-based, integrated service hubs offering wraparound care to youth. However, these efforts are advancing in the absence of rigorous research data demonstrating effectiveness. To address MHA system and evidence gaps, this study tests the benefits of a community-based Integrated Collaborative Care Team (ICCT) model for youth with MHA challenges. In the start-up phase of the project, researchers, community service agencies, psychiatrists, youth, caregivers, and other stakeholders worked together to develop a highly integrative, multi-component youth- and family-friendly ICCT service pathway and associated research project, for which we have gained proof of concept since 2016. After an extensive co-creation process and pilot phase, ongoing funding is needed to extend recruitment and reach the scope of a full-scale trial. The study will randomly assign 450 youth to receive either hospital-based care or ICCT services to compare the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of the two service pathways for youth with MHA challenges. We have already successfully recruited 112 youth into the study as of August 2018 and have progressed to five hospitals now actively recruiting participants. As provincial, national, and international efforts to implement ICCT-type models of care advance under significant public and private investment, it is critical that robust data be collected to examine their effectiveness. By providing rapid access to integrated, collaborative care geared to youth needs and preferences in youth-friendly community settings, this project is expected to substantially improve the mental health of this population, making Ontario a leader in innovative systems of care.