The Burden of Mental Illness and Evidence-informed Mental Health Policy Development

Assessing the quality of research examining change in children’s mental health in the context of COVID-19

“…Moreover, how can we be prepared for another disaster if we do not prioritize the continuous assessment of their wellbeing? These concerns were addressed in a recent commentary by Kurdyak and Patten, 35 who argued that the current dearth of information on mental health burden and associated need for services in relation to the pandemic hampers policy makers' and planners' ability to "meaningfully respond to increased need [for services] if it exists." 35 In sum, it is important that medical and graduate students, who are consumers of research, recognize that the current quality of COVID-19 research does not often meet the minimum standard to pass the peer-review process (see Table 1).…”

“…These concerns were addressed in a recent commentary by Kurdyak and Patten, 35 who argued that the current dearth of information on mental health burden and associated need for services in relation to the pandemic hampers policy makers' and planners' ability to "meaningfully respond to increased need [for services] if it exists." 35 In sum, it is important that medical and graduate students, who are consumers of research, recognize that the current quality of COVID-19 research does not often meet the minimum standard to pass the peer-review process (see Table 1). Moreover, although routinely done, most COVID-19 studies cannot comment on mental health changes in children and youth because longitudinal data were not used.…”

Expanding the evidence for population mental health in Canada: a call to action for evidence-informed policy and practice

“…[20][21][22][23] An integral component of these efforts must include outcome monitoring to determine the effectiveness of mental health care and establish iterative cycles of continuous improvement and innovation. 24 While these findings provide initial insights into potential pandemic-related impacts on population mental health, important gaps remain. First, and foremost, is the complete absence of comparable, nationally representative data on the mental health of Canadian children and young people-a longstanding gap that predates the pandemic.…”

Développement des données probantes sur la santé mentale de la population au Canada : appel à l’action pour des politiques et des pratiques fondées sur des données probantes

“…De nouveaux modèles de prestation de services conçus pour favoriser l'accès et l'efficacité, comme les modèles de soins échelonnés et de soins collaboratifs, semblent prometteurs pour combler l'écart entre les besoins de la population et la disponibilité des services de santé mentale [20][21][22][23] . La surveillance des résultats doit faire partie intégrante des mesures visant à déterminer l'efficacité des soins de santé mentale, et des cycles itératifs d'amélioration et d'innovation constantes doivent être mis en place 24 .…”

“…Enfin, l'évaluation de la santé mentale doit aller au-delà des échelles de dépistage fondées sur les symptômes et englober des indicateurs de sévérité, les affections concomitantes et les déficiences fonctionnelles 24 . L'adoption d'une approche plus globale en matière d'évaluation aidera à déterminer quelles populations ont le plus besoin d'interventions en santé mentale.…”