Waterloo-Wellington saw spike in youth facing depression, anxiety last year: CMHA

Payton Mackey says her depression worsened during the pandemic.

"I think that for me, a lot of it has been the isolation ... It's very easy to not talk to people for days at a time," said the 18-year-old from Kitchener.

"I think a lot of people are experiencing struggles with mental health because obviously this is a situation we've never faced before."

In 2021, the Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) Waterloo Wellington reported a 40 per cent increase in youth accessing mental health services.

That's cause for alarm, says Cyndy Moffat Forsyth, executive director of the Grove, a youth wellness hub in Wellington Guelph and an extension of CMHA.

"I think we need to be paying attention as mental health professionals and we need to address it," she said. "But the fact that people are reaching out is a really positive step."

School a top concern

Forsyth said the top concerns youth are citing are: Sadness, anxiety, low moods and depression.

In the final half of 2021 between September and December, more than 5,600 youth visited the Grove sites, including 625 of them who came to access wellness programs. Those range from art and basketball programs to services like mental health professionals and counselling.

Prior to the pandemic, one in five Canadian youth struggled with mental health or substance challenges, said Forsyth. The pandemic only exacerbated that problem.

"It's the isolation. The constant change to and from school. Are you online or are you not online? I can see my friends. I can't see my friends," she said.

Krista Sibbilin, a director at CMHA overseeing children's mental health and developmental services, said she's spoken to other senior high school students who have been impacted.

"Some of the older youth who are planning to go to college or university, or for extra education are struggling around this back and forth of school and out of school, which increases anxiety," she said.

Sibbilin said there has also been an increase in younger children aged four to six accessing support for anxiety.

"I think anxiety can be presented in various ways. It can be … panic attacks, some aggressive outbursts … and then ... withdrawal from friends, withdrawal from family, removing yourself from activities that you once really loved or participated in," she said.

Numbers not whole picture

Forsyth said an increase in access to services means mental health is slowly being destigmatized.

"We are talking about it more. We're accepting it more and people are coming at it from a wellness perspective … So it's not like, 'OK, I'm sad and it's taboo.' It's OK to be sad. Let's take a look at how we can address that sadness."

However, she said, at the same time, the numbers do not show a true reflection of the issue. She said the pandemic has limited the number of people who have access to the sites and many others who are struggling do not come forward.

Mackey echoed that sentiment and said reaching out for help becomes difficult when isolated.

"A lot of times, at least in my experience, what motivates you to realize that you need help is other people encouraging you ... When you're at home, you just don't tend to get out as much," Mackey said.

"So it's a lot easier to convince yourself that you're fine and you don't need help when you're very much not."

Forsyth said it's important to have safe spaces for youth to gather because it builds trust and encourages them to seek support if they need it.

"We've seen youth come in two or three times just checking out the site and then they ask for help. So it's about building of rapport," she said.

More support needed

There is a multi-step process to tackling the growing issue around youth mental wellness and it starts with normalizing the conversation, Sibbilin says.

"Being compassionate and empathetic, listening and being open to listening," Sibbilin said.

Forsyth said one way is to reframe the problem is to make it about wellness.

"It's not about this is a bad thing. It's about how do we maintain our mental wellness," she said.

Forsyth hopes service organizations will receive greater funding to deliver more programs and support.

If you're struggling or know someone who is, here's where to get help:

• Canadian Mental Health Association Waterloo Wellington's Call Here 24/7: 1-844-437-3247 or its website.
• Canada Suicide Prevention Service: 1-833-456-4566 (phone) | 45645 (text).
• Kids Help Phone: 1-800-668-6868 (phone), live chat counselling on the website.