Abstract
In this study we explored adolescent perceptions of what was most helpful and most challenging about mental health treatment for mood and/or anxiety disorders. Youth seeking treatment at the First Episode Mood and Anxiety Program were recruited to participate in a follow-up survey about their experiences of mental health care services. Responses to two open-ended questions were analyzed for emerging themes and differences between age groups and gender. Males were more likely to report therapy as being helpful than females, 16–18 year olds were more likely to report medication as a challenge to treatment and 19–26 year olds were more likely to report accessing services as a challenge to treatment. Understanding what helps and what hinders treatment-seeking youth can guide both clinical treatment and service delivery models for this population.
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Funding
This project was funded by a grant from the Academic Health Services Centres Alternate Funding Plan Innovation Fund; and the University of Western Ontario, London Health Sciences Centre and the Saint Joseph’s Health Care System. In-kind support for the project also came from the University of Western Ontario, Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, the London Health Sciences Centre, St. Joseph’s Health Care, and the Lawson Health Research Institute.
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The authors declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.
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Summerhurst, C., Wammes, M., Wrath, A. et al. Youth Perspectives on the Mental Health Treatment Process: What Helps, What Hinders?. Community Ment Health J 53, 72–78 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10597-016-0014-6
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10597-016-0014-6