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Canada needs national standards to tackle kid’s mental health challenges: experts – Global News

Published

3 years ago

January 30, 2022

Concern about the mental health challenges of young Canadians has been growing during the nearly two years of disruptions and repeated isolation during the COVID-19 pandemic.

But experts say we do not have the tools to properly assess the toll that the pandemic has taken on the mental health of Canadian kids. Creating standards for how mental health is measured could help grasp the scale of the problem.

Children’s Healthcare Canada, a national organization representing kids’ health-care providers, said children’s hospitals are reporting higher numbers of kids being admitted for suicide attempts, substance abuse and complex eating disorders.

Young Canadians reached out to Kids Help Phone about 4.6 million times in 2020, up from the 1.9 million connections in 2019, according to a report from the health service for youth.

Keith Dobson, professor of clinical psychology at the University of Calgary, said while certain metrics like hospitalizations and physician contacts are well-recorded, there are no standardized screening tools for mental health assessment in the country.

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How one Winnipeg school is tackling student mental health amid the pandemic

How one Winnipeg school is tackling student mental health amid the pandemic

Dobson, who is also a researcher at the Mental Health Commission of Canada, said different groups and organizations, even within the same health-care system, will use different tools.

“That makes it really difficult to know what the rates are and how to compare them from place to place,” he said.

Paul-Emile Cloutier, president of HealthCareCAN, said standards are important for making sure money invested in the health system will actually result in positive outcomes.

“If you don’t have any standards, you won’t be able to evaluate if you’ve improved the health-care system of those people who are suffering from a mental illness,” said Cloutier.

Currently the provinces and territories are engaged in a “disjointed approach” to mental health care, where each province has a separate way of not only providing those services but collecting data as well, he said.

“And once you have that data, they don’t share that data with other provinces, which I think is a major unfortunate situation, because I think they should,” said Cloutier.

Dr. Tyler Black, a child and adolescent psychiatrist at University of British Columbia, said, “We haven’t done a great job in regularly surveying, or even monitoring national collections of this sort of data.”

Black, who is also a suicidologist, said there is a need for large national data sets to make any determinations about suicides among children, because it is less common, but it can take years to get that data in Canada.

“We’re not great in collating these types of things with modern, responsive, dashboard-style data. We get dumps of data every year, which makes it very hard to know what’s going on in the moment.”

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Feelings of anxiety, depression and loneliness spike amid Omicron wave: CAMH study

Feelings of anxiety, depression and loneliness spike amid Omicron wave: CAMH study

Dobson said an existing tool that could be used as a standard for assessing depression is the depression module of the Patient Health Questionnaire, the latter a diagnostic tool for common mental disorders.

He said this measure is being used more internationally and can be used for adults and children alike.

Black said because that screening tool was designed in a very specific way, he would prefer one that is “unequivocal” to interpret, such as asking a patient point-blank how they are doing at this moment.

He said that while he appreciates researchers wanting to create complicated scales, they are simply turning a subjective question into a scale that acts as a proxy for asking the question directly.

“I prefer more easily interpretable data that’s a little bit easier for kids to respond to,” said Black.

He added that he would like to see child patients and their families give input in the types of measures used for kids’ mental health.

“There isn’t really a great one, unfortunately, for anxiety, because anxiety comes in different forms,” said Dobson.

“But if there was a standard tool that was used across the country, that would be fantastic.”

Click to play video: 'COVID-19 takes toll on the mental health of children'

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COVID-19 takes toll on the mental health of children

COVID-19 takes toll on the mental health of children – Jan 21, 2022

Cloutier said the selection of Carolyn Bennett as minister of mental health is a significant step forward for creating these types of countrywide standards.

Bennett said in an interview with CTV News published on Jan. 18 that the federal government’s proposed mental health transfers to provinces may be tied to showing standards are being met.

The development of mental health standards is one of the first priorities listed in Bennett’s mandate letter.

Bennett’s office said in a statement the government committed $45 million in last year’s budget to develop national standards for mental health services.

The office did not respond to a question about whether the minister would create standardized assessment tools.

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Business

The #1 Skill I Look For When Hiring

Published

19 seconds ago

September 17, 2024

Harry Miller

File this column under “for what it’s worth.”

“Communication is one of the most important skills you require for a successful life.” — Catherine Pulsifer, author.

I’m one hundred percent in agreement with Pulsifer, which is why my evaluation of candidates begins with their writing skills. If a candidate’s writing skills and verbal communication skills, which I’ll assess when interviewing, aren’t well above average, I’ll pass on them regardless of their skills and experience.

Why?

Because business is fundamentally about getting other people to do things—getting employees to be productive, getting customers to buy your products or services, and getting vendors to agree to a counteroffer price. In business, as in life in general, you can’t make anything happen without effective communication; this is especially true when job searching when your writing is often an employer’s first impression of you.

Think of all the writing you engage in during a job search (resumes, cover letters, emails, texts) and all your other writing (LinkedIn profile, as well as posts and comments, blogs, articles, tweets, etc.) employers will read when they Google you to determine if you’re interview-worthy.

With so much of our communication today taking place via writing (email, text, collaboration platforms such as Microsoft Teams, Slack, ClickUp, WhatsApp and Rocket.Chat), the importance of proficient writing skills can’t be overstated.

When assessing a candidate’s writing skills, you probably think I’m looking for grammar and spelling errors. Although error-free writing is important—it shows professionalism and attention to detail—it’s not the primary reason I look at a candidate’s writing skills.

The way someone writes reveals how they think.

Clear writing = Clear thinking
Structured paragraphs = Structured mind
Impactful sentences = Impactful ideas

Effective writing isn’t about using sophisticated vocabulary. Hemingway demonstrated that deceptively simple, stripped-down prose can captivate readers. Effective writing takes intricate thoughts and presents them in a way that makes the reader think, “Damn! Why didn’t I see it that way?” A good writer is a dead giveaway for a good thinker. More than ever, the business world needs “good thinkers.”

Therefore, when I come across a candidate who’s a good writer, hence a good thinker, I know they’re likely to be able to write:

Emails that don’t get deleted immediately and are responded to
Simple, concise, and unambiguous instructions
Pitches that are likely to get read
Social media content that stops thumbs
Human-sounding website copy
Persuasively, while attuned to the reader’s possible sensitivities

Now, let’s talk about the elephant in the room: AI, which job seekers are using en masse. Earlier this year, I wrote that AI’s ability to hyper-increase an employee’s productivity—AI is still in its infancy; we’ve seen nothing yet—in certain professions, such as writing, sales and marketing, computer programming, office and admin, and customer service, makes it a “fewer employees needed” tool, which understandably greatly appeals to employers. In my opinion, the recent layoffs aren’t related to the economy; they’re due to employers adopting AI. Additionally, companies are trying to balance investing in AI with cost-cutting measures. CEOs who’ve previously said, “Our people are everything,” have arguably created today’s job market by obsessively focusing on AI to gain competitive advantages and reduce their largest expense, their payroll.

It wouldn’t be a stretch to assume that most AI usage involves generating written content, content that’s obvious to me, and likely to you as well, to have been written by AI. However, here’s the twist: I don’t particularly care.

Why?

Because the fundamental skill I’m looking for is the ability to organize thoughts and communicate effectively. What I care about is whether the candidate can take AI-generated content and transform it into something uniquely valuable. If they can, they’re demonstrating the skills of being a good thinker and communicator. It’s like being a great DJ; anyone can push play, but it takes skill to read a room and mix music that gets people pumped.

Using AI requires prompting effectively, which requires good writing skills to write clear and precise instructions that guide the AI to produce desired outcomes. Prompting AI effectively requires understanding structure, flow and impact. You need to know how to shape raw information, such as milestones throughout your career when you achieved quantitative results, into a compelling narrative.

So, what’s the best way to gain and enhance your writing skills? As with any skill, you’ve got to work at it.

Two rules guide my writing:

Use strong verbs and nouns instead of relying on adverbs, such as “She dashed to the store.” instead of “She ran quickly to the store.” or “He whispered to the child.” instead of “He spoke softly to the child.”
Avoid using long words when a shorter one will do, such as “use” instead of “utilize” or “ask” instead of “inquire.” As attention spans get shorter, I aim for clarity, simplicity and, most importantly, brevity in my writing.

Don’t just string words together; learn to organize your thoughts, think critically, and communicate clearly. Solid writing skills will significantly set you apart from your competition, giving you an advantage in your job search and career.

_____________________________________________________________________

Nick Kossovan, a well-seasoned veteran of the corporate landscape, offers “unsweetened” job search advice. You can send Nick your questions to artoffindingwork@gmail.com.

News

Instagram launches teen accounts with private settings, limited capabilities

Published

6 mins ago

September 17, 2024

Anne Joseph

TORONTO – Amid mounting accusations that kids aren’t being kept safe on social media, Instagram says it will automatically give teens private accounts with limited capabilities as their default.

The accounts launched for new underage users in Canada on Tuesday and will be handed to teens already on the platform over the next 60 days.

The account’s default settings include blocking teens from being messaged by people they aren’t connected with and minimizing their exposure to sensitive content such as posts that depict violence or encourage cosmetic procedures.

Parental supervision tools baked into the accounts will allow parents to see who their teen is messaging, when and how long they’re on Instagram, and set screen time limits. Those under the age of 16 will only be able to change the settings with parental approval.

The settings are Instagram parent company Meta Platforms Inc.‘s answer to a barrage of concerns parents, politicians and educators have raised about how much time teens are spending on social media platforms and what harms they’re encountering online.

The dangers prompted several provinces to ban phone use in class this school year and a handful of Ontario boards to sue Meta, TikTok and Snap for billions over accusations that the companies negligently design their products for compulsive use and rewire the way children think, behave and learn.

More than 30 states are perusing a similar case in the U.S., where former Meta staff previously told legislators that it’s common for youths on the platform to receive unwanted sexual advances or report having suicidal thoughts that became more frequent after signing up for Instagram.

A cascade of studies has also linked time online to lower self-esteem and academic performance as well as more exposure to hateful, violent and mature content.

Antigone Davis, vice-president and global head of safety at Meta, positioned Instagram’s new teen accounts as a product of feedback from parents who were finding it harder to guide and oversee their children’s online safety.

“Certainly, when I was a teen, my parents could get a lot from hearing my side of a phone conversation. They could get a lot by seeing who it was that I was interacting with and which friends I hadn’t had over in a while,” she said.

“But with so much happening online, parents have lost some of that visibility and it makes it harder for them to have conversations about what’s happening in their teens’ lives. This really opens up an opportunity for them to … have that kind of visibility and those insights to have those important conversations.”

Instagram has dabbled with restrictions for teens before, offering parents the ability to set time limits and schedule breaks for their kids, but speaking in London last week, Meta’s global affairs chief Nick Clegg said, “even when we build these controls, parents don’t use them.”

Users who are 17 and 18 will be able to turn off the restrictions that come with teen accounts without a parent’s permission.

The company is offering such leeway because it mirrors the additional freedom and independence kids are given as they grow up, Davis said.

And for anyone who thinks kids can easily escape restrictions by changing the birthdate they supply the platform with, she said Instagram will be able to catch if the user is lying about their age.

“If we see a teen who has an account once we make this announcement try to set up an additional account and register as an adult, we’re going to ask them to verify their age,” she said.

“If we see a teen try to change their age to an adult age within their existing account, we’re going to ask them to verify their age.”

The age verification can include teens handing over ID but also makes use of Yoti, a company relying on facial analysis to determine one’s age.

Technology that Instagram is using will also alert the company to instances when teens report that they’re a certain age but then receive birthday wishes or post about being another age, Davis said.

Rival platform TikTok uses similar tools to detect teens and give them one-hour screen time limits that can only be bypassed with a code from their parents. The platform also offers family pairing, which allows parents to link their accounts directly with their teens’ and ensure their kids’ TikTok settings are agreed upon as a family.

Over at Snap, parental controls are also available along with tools that can keep teens from being contacted by anyone other than friends or people who already have their phone number and location-sharing is turned off by default.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 17, 2024.

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News

StatCan looks to improve the way it tracks wireless plan pricing with new data

Published

8 mins ago

September 17, 2024

Anne Joseph

OTTAWA – Statistics Canada has changed the way it tracks the price of wireless plans in an effort to capture a more accurate picture of what Canadians are paying when it calculates the inflation rate.

The agency has been using web-collected data on the advertised cost of plans based on a set of profiles designed to reflect how households use their devices.

However, Statistics Canada has now started using actual sales data from participating wireless companies to help build a picture of the changing cost of wireless plans.

The price for cellular services in August was down 12.8 per cent compared with a year earlier, based on the agency’s report Tuesday.

However, Statistics Canada has said caution should be used when interpreting the year-over-year move for the first 12 months following the change.

The cellular services price index is part of the household operations, furnishings and equipment index. It represents 1.22 per cent of the CPI basket based on 2023 expenditures.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 17, 2024.

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