A Website is Born
The Addictions and Concurrent Disorders Research Group here at the University of British Columbia will be using this blog space to keep young people, our fans, and interested stakeholders abreast of all of the developments that this website will undergo as time progresses.
So, why are we building this website? Recently, UBC and Bell announced a gift to establish the Bell Youth Mental Health IMPACT Project. As part of the project, our team of UBC researchers is developing a mental health web portal that will provide an end-to-end mental health platform—information, assessment, reassessment, support, and wellness—through integrated technological solutions including online treatment options, appropriate information, a support network, and links to the current system of care for youth, friends & family, and health care professionals.
“Too often, their (adolescents and young adults) first opportunity to access care results from an encounter with police or a trip to the emergency room. Enabling young adults to get help early will reduce the chances that their condition will lead to substance abuse or attempts at suicide.” – Dr. Michael Krausz
This website is being created with the big (yet simple) idea of giving users the means to take control of their own mental health through providing evidence-based solutions with the use of best new technologies. The overarching goal is to improve the accessibility, quality, and capacity of mental health care for young people in BC, Canada, and abroad.
Words cannot describe the complexity involved in making such a simple and helpful healthful idea come to fruition - we’ve literally just begun!