The Overall Mental Health Service Delivery System in the Province

Mental illness strikes people of all ages, socio-economic status, and cultural backgrounds, and often requires a range of health services to address it. Consequently, the service delivery system surrounding mental illness is complex.

Mental illness in a child or youth may first be detected by a family doctor as a result of concerns expressed by parents or other care providers. These concerning behaviors are often noticed in schools, the community and at home. Psychiatrists, as specialist physicians who assess and treat mental illness on referral from family physicians, work collaboratively with families and community resources in an effort to help reduce or eliminate the negative impact of mental illness which can affect functioning in school, family and community environments. Children and youth with a mental illness may be admitted to hospital for a short stay if they are not able to manage at home. Some larger communities have dedicated hospital psychiatric units for children and youth, and BC Children's Hospital offers a specialized provincial facility for children and youth with mental disorders. In addition, other practitioners such as psychologists, clinical social workers or child care workers in private practice are available in some communities to provide fee-for-service assessment and treatment.

The Ministry of Children and Family Development provides a range of specific mental health services for children and youth. For youth who have become involved with the law, Youth Forensic Psychiatric Services provides a similar range of services. In addition, some residential and outreach assessment and treatment options for children and youth with mental illness are available at the Maples Adolescent Treatment Centre. Community Child and Youth Mental Health Services are described in detail in the following sections.

Sometimes services need to continue into adulthood which requires transition planning to adult mental health services. These services are similar to those provided for children and youth but are under the jurisdiction of the health authorities and the Ministry or Health.