This text is part of the special section Philanthropy
In March 2022, the Montreal Children’s Hospital inaugurated SPOT Montreal, its new center specializing in mental health for adolescents. A $12 million initiative, funded entirely by donations, to help youth in suicidal crisis.
The health crisis and the periods of confinement have been hard on the mental health of Quebecers, in particular on adolescents, deprived of a social life and very important activities at their age. However, the psychological distress of this age group dates from long before the pandemic.
“For the past fifteen years, we have seen a gradual increase in young people who come to emergency with suicidal thoughts. One of our goals is to reduce the number of these patients admitted to hospital by providing them with services that keep them in their environment,” said Dr.r Martin Gignac, head of the child psychiatry department at the Children’s and head of the SPOT Montreal project.
Between 2020 and 2021, the number of young people presenting to the Children’s emergency department for psychosocial or psychological problems jumped by 35%.
According to the Dr Gignac, the fact that mental health problems are less stigmatized than before by society probably contributes to the increase in consultations. Young people consult instead of suffering in silence.
“People allow themselves to talk about it more than before,” he says. We have examples, hockey players or artists who go out in public to talk about their problems. It’s positive. What is more concerning are the societal causes of this psychological suffering. What contributes to it? As a society, do we have the right tools to respond to the psychological distress of young people? »
Immediate support
When a teenager presents to the emergency room with suicidal thoughts, different options are possible. We can redirect him to a CLSC, a psychologist or admit him to psychiatry. SPOT assists patients who do not require hospitalization, but require immediate care. After being assessed in the emergency room, the patients are transferred to SPOT, where an intensive and multidisciplinary intervention is then set in motion. Each young person receives an individual intervention plan that can continue for up to 12 weeks. He is followed by a case manager who ensures that the right care is offered to him at the right time.
“From the start, we made a connection with the services available in the community, such as the CLSC and the school, specifies the Dr Gignac. One of our criteria is not to replace what already exists. We are not there to take the place of people who work very well with this population. »
The SPOT is there to ensure that young people who come to the emergency department do not fall between two chairs. It happens, in fact, that the hospital discharges patients, but that they are not taken care of quickly enough and must return to the hospital.
“At SPOT, we have an immediate care mission. There is no waiting list, ”says the Dr Gignac.
Multidisciplinary team
The SPOT team is made up of two psychologists, three social workers, a psychoeducator, an occupational therapist, a specialized nurse and a doctor, in addition to a coordinator and an administrative assistant.
“A center with services of this magnitude is quite unique in Canada,” says Dr.r Gignac. This is a service that will probably work as a pilot project in Quebec. »
Since its opening, Le SPOT has already reached a good cruising speed, and the objective of its team is to support 1,000 teenagers a year.
SPOT was set up thanks to donations of $12 million raised in record time by the Montreal Children’s Hospital Foundation.
Between the moment the project was set up and its realization, only six months have passed, and the funds raised will allow SPOT to be financed for ten years. Among these donors, the RBC Royal Bank and the Amiel Family Foundation donated 2 million each.
“We are talking more and more about mental health and I think it is finally resonating in the community,” concludes Dr.r Gignac. People rallied around the project. It’s a great sign of solidarity and for me, it’s an extraordinary accomplishment. »