If it hasn’t been said enough already, Canada—like everywhere else in the world—is in the midst of a major mental health crisis. Between the cost-of-living crisis, housing crisis, the ongoing uncertainty fueled by wars overseas, and health care shortages, many Canadians are left feeling scared and overwhelmed, with nowhere to turn.

While the major focus of this growing crisis has rightfully been working Canadians—those who are struggling to meet their monthly payments, provide food, shelter, and other basic necessities for their families, bring their full selves to work every day, etc.—it stands to reason that if the adults are struggling, their children doubtless are, too. And emerging research shows that this is exactly the case.

According to a report from UNICEF Canada, though Canada ranks among the countries with the best economic, environmental, and social conditions for adolescence, it ranks 30^th out of 38 of the wealthiest nations when it comes to youth mental health outcomes. It has the fourth highest rate of adolescent suicide, and is among the bottom fourth of surveyed nations in life satisfaction among youth.

In more digestible terms, up to 7.5 million of Canada’s youth between the ages of 15 and 25 are struggling with their mental health; that’s 1 in every 5 young persons. Per the latest available data, nearly a quarter of hospitalizations among this population are for mental health reasons. This includes admissions for eating disorders, self-harm and suicidality, anxiety, depression, substance abuse, and more—all of which have doubled in recent years. At the rate things are going, Canada is looking at a $1 trillion problem—annually—in the coming years if something doesn’t change, and soon.

So what, exactly, needs to change? And who’s responsible for leading that change?

It goes without saying that there are a lot of forces that impact youth mental health that are outside of any one person’s control. Youth mental health is influenced, most often, by adverse childhood experiences (ACE), a family history of mental health problems, poverty, a lack of parental or familial support, bullying and social problems at school, adverse social media or drug use, and more. That said, there’s no one solution that will solve this burgeoning crisis; yet every action taken makes a huge difference in the long run. So whether you’re an employer, a parent, a coworker, a campus leader, or a peer, you absolutely play a role in the health and wellbeing of the youth around you; and more importantly, there is absolutely something that you can do to help.

At the most basic, societal level, one essential change to improving youth mental health is changing the way we think about and act toward them. There is a tendency—understandably—among parents, guardians, teachers, and even care providers, work, and school personnel, to try to “shield” adolescents from the hardships and challenges of the “real world”; to “leave them in the dark” about darker—or, at least, heavier—things that may be happening around them (as if that can even be done in this day and age). Parents/guardians don’t walk to talk about their financial problems around their children. They don’t want to discuss the state of the world: the political, economic, social, or environmental instability.

But today’s youth can already sense what’s going on. They have eyes and ears—hypersensitive ones, too, usually. They can read their parents’ faces. They can interpret the awkward or prolonged silences; the hushed tones used during conversations between adults. They already know their parents are struggling to put food on the table (Toronto Public Health staff shared at a recent board meeting that over 1 in 5 households experienced food insecurity in 2023, where they also spoke about the link between food insecurity and mental health outcomes in youth populations). They know their parents are struggling to fill up their gas tank each week; that they’re struggling to make ends meet.

They know the adults around them are just as scared or unsure about the future as they are. It’s important that we stop pretending otherwise.

Consider, for instance, the pandemic: Research shows that about 3 in every 5 young persons claim that the pandemic left them feeling depressed about the future, while 2 in 5 reported that it made their mental health worse. Likewise, more than three-quarters of parents of young adults attest that their child’s mental health has become worse since the pandemic, while two-fifths of them say it got ‘much worse.’

In light of these statistics, why are we so adamant to never talk about the pandemic again?

Just because it’s over doesn’t mean its effects are behind us. The trauma, uncertainty, anxiety, despair—you name it—that youth and young adults endured throughout the course of the pandemic will have a lasting impact on them. It’s already impacted their relationship with substances. It’s already impacted their physical/metabolic health. It’s already significantly bumped their screen time and presence on social media—further worsening their mental, cognitive, and even physical health. Whether they can name the cause or not, the signs are there; the symptoms felt. They need the adults around them to be willing to talk about these issues and health effects; to be willing to listen.

That said, whether you’re an employer or a campus leader, among the most important solutions for you to adopt when it comes to supporting youth mental health include:

• Manager/Advisor Training, in which topics may include how to recognize signs of ill-mental health in young staff/students; how to respond with sensitivity, compassion, understanding, empathy, and respect; how to refer individuals to the correct support (i.e., counseling services, crisis lines, on-site counselors; how to talk about uncomfortable or upsetting things; how to provide support and guidance during times of crisis, change, or uncertainty; and more
• Employee/Student Listening Programs, in which young adults on one’s staff or campus are encouraged to raise any concerns they may have or bring up any challenges they might be facing and seek help from their respective employer or campus leader, which in turn allows for more targeted and effective solutions
• Onsite, Online, and In-App Counseling Support, in which students/employees may access support for their mental wellbeing at any time and from anywhere of their choosing. As research reveals that screentime is up amongst young adults, it’s time to meet them where they are: providing online pathways to care is one effective means of ensuring that young adults get the timely, satisfactory support that they need to manage their mental health and to prevent or treat signs of disorder
• Staff/Student-wide Training, topics of which may include how to recognize signs of ill-health; understanding common mental health disorders (e.g., depression, anxiety, substance use disorders, PTSD, etc.) and their causes, symptoms, and treatment options; social determinants of health and their impact on holistic wellbeing; what is trauma and how it manifests in the mind and body; and more—all of which seek to raise youth’s awareness of important mental health-related topics
• Life/Wellness Coaching, in which students/employees work with professional coaches to develop and pursue personalized life and wellness goals; understand how the various facets of health (physical, financial, spiritual, social, nutritional, mental) interact with and influence one another; learn how to manage stress and foster positive coping habits; and more

Additionally, other solutions that may have a positive impact on youth mental health include those that focus not necessarily on impacted youth themselves, but on those that hold the biggest influence over their health and wellbeing: their parents/guardians, and their peers. Specifically, these include:

• Wellbeing Ambassador Programs, in which exemplary, mentally healthy coworkers or classmates receive training to become effective role models and initial contacts for peers facing mental health challenges
• Daily Living, Family Care, and Enhanced Legal and Financial Services, in which parents and guardians of today’s youth may receive timely, localized, and personalized support for life’s challenges, which may encompass referrals to child psychologists, tutoring agencies, student loan assistance, higher education or student support services, and any other resources that allow young adults and their families to thrive—at school, in the workplace, and beyond

With the world of school, work, technology—the world in general— in constant flux, it’s understandable that those already grappling with their own ongoing transitions and transformations would be distressed by such overwhelming change. That said, when it comes to protecting youth’s mental health and overall wellbeing, it cannot be understated the importance of having mindful empathetic, compassionate, and cooperative adults in their lives, who will listen to and heed their concerns; collaborate with them on solutions; guide them through familiar events or situations happening along their journey to adulthood; and help them to become resilient and adaptable adults capable of handling life’s inevitable, ceaseless changes.