Youth Mental Health and the Internet

If you’ve ever felt that talking to someone about a problem you’re facing is difficult or you feel like you would be more comfortable asking a question anonymously you’re not alone. Many youth feel the same way! For a lot of young people the Internet is an important source of health information, and a place where they can ask questions about topics they may not feel at ease discussing with friends, family or doctors.

According to a 2001 report produced by Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation entitled “Generation RX.com: How young people use the Internetfor Health Information”, three out of four youth (ages 15-24) have used the Internet at least once to find health information. This statistic is more than the proportion who have ever gone online to check sports scores (46%), buy something (50%), or participate in a chat room (67%), and about the same proportion that have ever played games (72%) or downloaded music (72%) online. The report also highlighted that about one in four youth have researched depression or mental illness (23%) and problems with drugs or alcohol (23%). And with the growth of the Internet and the number of youth who have access to computers, the number of young people accessing health information online might be even higher today!

Because so many youth are looking for information online about their health, including their mental health, it is more important than ever to provide young people with the best information possible for them to make informed decisions about their health and well-being. This means providing information that is based on scientific evidence and coming from qualified health care professionals.

One online resource doing just that is YooMagazine, an interactive health literacy program designed for young people. YooMagazine’s goal is to provide youth with accurate health and mental health information in a variety of interactive formats (information sheets, how-to sheets, Q&A, quizzes, etc.) and to improve health literacy and decision-making skills among youth.

YooMagazine started in 2006 by Dr. Darcy Santor, at the Provincial Centre of Excellence for Child and Youth Mental Health in Ottawa, and by Dr. Alexa Bagnell, at the IWK Health Centre in Halifax. The program has partnered with experts and institutions across Canada giving the website a national scope and expertise. YooMagazine is also available to schools and community groups free of charge.

~ By Haley McInnis (excerpt from Moods Magazine - 2008 Fall Issue)