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Youth Psychiatry

Research

The Royal Ottawa Mental Health Centre (ROMHC) offers intensive and specialized mental health services to youth with early onset major psychiatric disorders and/or complex psychiatric illnesses that are resistant to treatment. 

The Youth Program includes a Youth Inpatient Unit, a Youth Partial Hospitalization Unit, a Youth Day Treatment Unit and Outpatient/Outreach services to the Champlain District of Eastern Ontario.

Once a youth has been admitted to one of the youth programs, a decision about the appropriate course of treatment is made in consultation with the youth, their family and team.  After the treatment goals and a timeframe for achievement of these goals have been established, an internal or external transfer of care will be facilitated as treatment is completed.

Every effort will be made to make the treatment plan a conciliatory process, however in the event that a youth chooses not to accept the services being offered, their wishes must be respected.  The exception to this is when a patient, due to their mental health assessment, is deemed unable to make treatment decisions.

Research Today for a Brighter Tomorrow
In an effort to better understand and improve treatment for mental illness among youth, the ROMHC Youth Psychiatry Program includes a strong research component aimed at better understanding and improving treatment for mental illness in the youth population. 

Currently, research is being carried out in partnership with the University of Ottawa Institute of Mental Health Research the areas of depression, bipolar disorder, anxiety disorders, obsessive compulsive disorder, schizophrenia, substance abuse, and program evaluation.  Research is also being conducted with mentally healthy youth at the ROMHC and in local community settings such as schools.

Youth may be asked to participate in a research project by their psychiatrist.  With the youth's consent, they may be approached by research staff to provide them with information about participating in a study.

If you are experiencing a psychiatric illness or you are a healthy youth who is interested in participating in a research study, please contact the research coordinator via email at hien.nguyen@rohcg.on.ca.

Please note that all research studies have been approved by the ROMHC Ethics Board.

Signs of Mental Illness in Youth
Parents, teachers and friends are usually the first to recognize that an adolescent may be having significant problems with emotions or behaviour. 

The Canadian Psychiatric Society offers the following signs to look for in your teen, student, brother, sister, classmate, or friend that may indicate that a psychiatric evaluation at the ROMHC would be useful:

  • Marked drop in school performance or increase in absenteeism
  • Excessive use of alcohol and/or drugs
  • Marked changes in sleeping and/or eating habits
  • Many physical complaints (headaches, stomach aches)
  • Aggressive or non-aggressive consistent violations of rights of others: opposition to authority, truancy, thefts, vandalism, etc.
  • Withdrawal from friends, family, and regular activities
  • Depression shown by sustained, prolonged negative mood and attitude, often accompanied by poor appetite, difficulty sleeping or thoughts of death
  • Frequent outbursts of anger and rage
  • Low energy level, poor concentration, complaints of boredom
  • Loss of enjoyment in what used to be favourite activities
  • Unusual neglect of personal appearance
  • Intense fear of becoming obese with no relationship to actual body weight
  • Uncharacteristic delinquent, thrill seeking or promiscuous behaviour
  • Marked personality change
  • Comments about "feeling rotten inside", wanting to "end things", and soon no longer being a problem for others

Crisis Services for Youth
A crisis intervention team is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week through the Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario's (CHEO) Emergency Department for seriously ill children and youth suffering from mental illness and requiring emergency care.  They can be reached at 613.737.7600.