Dr. Michael Krausz to lead million-dollar Bell Youth Mental Health IMPACT Project
(Dec. 9, 2011) On November 16, 2011, UBC and Bell announced a $1M gift to establish the Bell Youth Mental Health IMPACT project, which will be led by Dr. Michael Krausz, a Brain Research Centre member and UBC-Providence Leading Edge Endowment Fund (LEEF) Chair in Addiction Research at the Institute of Mental Health.
The Bell Youth Mental Health IMPACT Project will enable researchers from the University of British Columbia to conduct mental health outreach to youth in need. As part of the project, researchers will develop a mental health web portal that provides educational and self-assessment tools, automated feedback, a list of treatment options, advice on obtaining services, and coping techniques. Additional features, such as online consultations through e-mail, chat rooms, video-conferencing, instant messaging and social media tools, will be added in the future based on research into the effectiveness of this outreach model.
“Despite the high prevalence of anxiety and depression, especially among those in late adolescence and early adulthood, the proportion of people who actually receive treatment in time is quite low,” said Dr. Krausz, an expert in epidemiology and public health.
“Too often, their first opportunity to access care results from an encounter with police or a trip to the emergency room. Enabling young adults to get help early will reduce the chances that their condition will lead to substance abuse or attempts at suicide,” Dr. Krausz added.
The program will investigate how tech-savvy BC youth are currently accessing online mental health resources and explore strategies to enhance the online experience. Web-based assessments, self-guided exercises and communications channels aim to hasten access to care in the digital age.
At first, the project will focus on underserved communities and involve partnerships with primary care physicians, school counselors, police and family organizations to facilitate use of the platform by those who need it. Insights from these pilot studies will be used to develop a province-wide mental health web portal.
