1. CONTEMPORARY PROBLEMS, COMMUNITY RESOURCES SOCL 1209

2. Submitted to: Shanyn Porter Submitted by: Hiral Patel Roshani Patel We focused on Issues faced by Youth vulnerable population specially such as, Mental Health problems Suicide

3. How to define YOUTH ? Adolescence is a time of dramatic change. The journey from child to adult can be complex and challenging. Young people often feel tremendous pressure to succeed at school, at home and in social groups. At the same time, they may lack the life experience that lets them know that difficult situations will not last forever. Mental health problems commonly associated with adults, such as depression, also affect young people.

4. All around the world, governments and organizations are showing increased interest in youth-related issues. Not only are youth directly and profoundly affected by these tremendous changes, but they also carry society's aspirations and vision of the future.

5. Youth are a litmus test for social change, they show us what tomorrow is going to look like", youth is considered to be a period of the life course during which transitions and key moments are concentrated and follow each other fairly rapidly: autonomy in relation to one’s family of origin, financial and residential autonomy, maintaining a stable relationship, family formation and participation in society as full citizens in their own right.,

6. Youth issues in industrialized countries are education (basic education and training beyond the compulsory age); employment and the labour market; health; housing; social protection and income support; family policy; criminal justice; and recreation (sporting and artistic activities).

7. Mental health issues in Canada Mental health is not only the avoidance of serious mental illness. Your mental health is affected by numerous factors from your daily life, including the stress of balancing work with your health and relationships.

8. At any given time 15% of children and youth are experiencing a mental health problem. While a significant number of Canadians are living with mental health problems, few seek help. Only 30% of people with mental health problems ever seek help and many delay seeking help until their condition becomes severe. From these figures it can be estimated that up to 250,000 children and youth in Toronto are experiencing mental health problems and only about 75,000 of them will ever seek help.

9. Over 70% of mental health problems start in childhood or early adolescence. Eighteen per cent of adolescent Canadians (15 to 24) report a mental health problem or substance abuse problem (Mood Disorders Society of Canada 2009). The mental health problems faced by children and youth are significant and varied. Disruptive behaviours, mood and anxiety disorders typically start in childhood (WHO 2005). In 2006 nearly 65,000 youth in Toronto under the age of 19 will have experienced bouts of depression.

10.  Suicide is a significant problem worldwide. Suicide accounts for 24% of all deaths among 15 to 24 year Olds. Experts in the field suggest that a suicidal person is feeling so much pain that they can see no other option. They feel that they are a burden to others, and in desperation see death as a way to escape their overwhelming pain and anguish. The suicidal state of mind has been described as constricted, filled with a sense of self-hatred, rejection, and hopelessness.

11. Young people in Ontario (18-24 year olds) have been found to have the highest proportion of moderate to severe gambling problems (6.7%) While 6% of Ontario youth took part in arcade or video style gambling, the provincial rate was only 5-9% of Ontario school-aged children may have Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). ADHD occurs more commonly in boys than girls at a rate as high as 3-4 times

12.  Discrimination, racism and alienation are often significant factors in mental health problems  Education is one key to the whole process as it cuts across issues of promotion, prevention, intervention and research

13. Question: How can we over come from this issue and make this youth population healthy?

14. Reference:  Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH). 2003. Challenges & Choices: Finding Mental Health Services in Ontario.  Chakraborty, A. and K. McKenzie. 2002. Does racial discrimination cause mental illness? The BritishJournal of Psychiatry, 180: 475-477.  City of Toronto. n.d. Toronto Social Atlas – 2006.

15.  http://www.toronto.ca/demographics/atlas_2006.htm http://www.toronto.ca/demographics/atlas_2006.htm  Fenta, H., I. Hyman and S. Noh. 2004. Determinants of Depression among Ethiopian Immigrants andRefugees in Toronto. The Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease, 192(5): 363-372.  http://www.horizons.gc.ca/2010-0017-eng.pdf http://www.horizons.gc.ca/2010-0017-eng.pdf  http://www.morethanalabel.acrossboundaries.ca/docum ents/mental_health_mental_Illness_and_addictions_in_ youth.pdf http://www.morethanalabel.acrossboundaries.ca/docum ents/mental_health_mental_Illness_and_addictions_in_ youth.pdf