Canadian youth, teens and young adults alike, are living through what professionals are calling a mental health crisis: changing parenting styles, pandemic isolation, clout chasing on social media, climate change, political unrest, and economic instability all appear to feed into it.

Available June 14th, In Our Heads, a new TVO Today podcast, examines the perfect storm surrounding today's youth and how people are weathering it. Is this crisis unique to the current generation's coming of age? Or are we finally acknowledging mental health in more nuanced ways? What's going on inside the minds of teens and people in their 20s facing these mental health struggles? Why do Ontario's systems of health care and mental health resources often feel inadequate? What can be done to solve the issue? What is being done?

To find out, subscribe now wherever you get your podcasts.

In collaboration with the reporters behind the Investigative Journalism Bureau and Toronto Star series, Generation Distress, In Our Heads offers valuable insights and actionable takeaways to shed light on this urgent public- health issue for those experiencing challenges, parents and educators trying to understand the situation, and those interested in how policy shifts and community-based care can shape tomorrow.

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Canadian youth are experiencing a mental health crisis. In fact, one in five are struggling with their mental health. But what does a "mental health crisis" even mean? Especially for children, teens, and post-secondary students just entering the world after being isolated for years when the pandemic forced lockdowns and online education.

Between shifting parenting styles, climate change, pandemic isolation, political unrest, economic instability, and clout chasing on social media, unprecedented times are taking a serious toll on everyone, but especially on youth mental health.

When the Investigative Journalism Bureau interviewed 152 young people who self-identified as having mental health struggles, they found that 90 per cent were living with anxiety, 80 per cent were living with depression, 62 per cent considered quitting school, and 48 per cent contemplated suicide.

How did we get here?

Host Tiffany Lam unpacks what's happening inside the minds of young adults grappling with their mental health and explores the potential causes of this crisis and how support systems have responded so far.

Read the transcript of the episode here: https://www.tvo.org/article/what-do-we-mean-by-mental-health-crisis

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If you, or someone you know, is struggling with mental health, visit any of the following resources for support:

Wellness Together Canada

https://www.wellnesstogether.ca/en-CA

To connect with a mental health professional one-on-one:

• call 1-888-668-6810 or text WELLNESS to 686868 for youth
• call 1-866-585-0445 or text WELLNESS to 741741 for adults

Kids Help Phone

Call 1-800-668-6868 (toll-free) or text CONNECT to 686868.

The Government of Ontario’s Mental Health Support Resources

https://www.ontario.ca/page/find-mental-health-support

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In the fall of 2022, the University of Toronto announced a shift in their approach to mental health care. After a string of student suicides, the university finally acknowledged their student mental health supports and resources needed to change. But how does this approach change the status quo of long wait times and unresponsive administration? How does it address the academic pressure students face, especially as students return to in-person learning after three years of isolation and virtual learning? And how are students responding to these new efforts?

This episode explores the biggest mental health concerns for college and university students, and what campus mental health care systems and resources can do about it. It also explores the vital role academic institutions and schools play in student well-being, how and why they've been falling short for years, and their plans to improve.

As a case study, host Tiffany Lam reports on what the University of Toronto is doing to address the issue of student mental health, how other post-secondary institutions compare, and how chasing prestige and future opportunities impact emerging adults today.

Read the transcript for the episode here: https://www.tvo.org/article/the-mental-health-cost-of-success-at-post-secondary-school

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If you, or someone you know, is struggling with mental health, visit any of the following resources for support:

Wellness Together Canada

https://www.wellnesstogether.ca/en-CA

To connect with a mental health professional one-on-one:

• call 1-888-668-6810 or text WELLNESS to 686868 for youth
• call 1-866-585-0445 or text WELLNESS to 741741 for adults

Kids Help Phone

Call 1-800-668-6868 (toll-free) or text CONNECT to 686868.

The Government of Ontario’s Mental Health Support Resources

https://www.ontario.ca/page/find-mental-health-support

--

Donate to TVO: http://tvo.org/give

Stay up to date with what’s happening in Ontario: https://www.tvo.org/

Listen to other TVO podcasts: https://www.tvo.org/podcasts

Follow TVO on social media:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wearetvo/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/tvo

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TVO

Subscribe to TVO Media Education Group newsletters: https://www.tvo.org/newsletters

Get the TVO Today app:

App Store: https://apps.apple.com/ca/app/tvo-today/id1616182112

Google Play https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.tvo.tvomediaapp&pli=1

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.