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  • CAMH Research
  • Understanding brain biology,
    effective treatments,
    access to service,
    preventing mental illness
    and addiction.
    Across the Lifespan in Childhood and Youth
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    Different disorders, shared biology

    Children with three different conditions—autism spectrum disorder, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and obsessive-compulsive disorder—have similar brain biology, according to an MRI study on the brain’s white matter, by Dr. Stephanie Ameis. These similarities are related to symptoms that occur across all three conditions, suggesting there may be common treatments targeting this spectrum.

  • Psychological distress is increasing

    Psychological distress among students is rising, according to the 2015 Ontario Student Drug Use and Health Survey. More than one in three students in grades 7 to 12 reported symptoms related to anxiety and depression—with girls reporting double the levels as boys. Twenty-eight per cent said that they had unmet needs for mental health support.

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    Mentoring helps

    The Big Brothers Big Sisters mentoring program has been linked to positive benefits for youth across Canada. A new study highlights its benefits among Indigenous young people. Indigenous youth paired with an adult mentor had significantly fewer emotional problems and social anxiety symptoms than counterparts without a mentor. Such programs may be especially beneficial for Indigenous youth if they adopt a culturally appropriate mentoring culture, the researchers suggest.

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    Preventing psychosis

    Early identification and treatment could pre-empt the development of schizophrenia. Dr. Romina Mizrahi is involved in two global initiatives—one European, one American. Both studies are honing in on ways to identify who is at greatest risk of developing psychosis, and which therapeutic interventions can effectively prevent it. The approach combines the tools of imaging and genetics, and interventions such as stress management and increasing social supports.

  • As few as one in six
    youth with mental health
    and addiction disorders
    will access appropriate
    treatment.
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    Service gaps

    Can three new mental health clinics better address barriers to treatment among teenagers, who would otherwise receive psychiatric care as hospital outpatients? A partnership among youth, family members, community organizations and hospitals is examining this question in a randomized trial comparing both approaches, led by Dr. Peter Szatmari and Dr. Joanna Henderson. Improvements in teens’ daily functioning—an outcome they decided—is one key measure to help show which approach works best.

  • An estimated
    nine out of 10
    adult smokers
    start their habit
    as teens.
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    Preventing a lifetime of smoking

    Teenagers’ genes influence their risk of developing an addiction to tobacco. Dr. Rachel Tyndale has shown that the body’s nicotine-processing enzyme CYP2A6 affects whether people break down nicotine normally or slowly. In research tracking young people who tried smoking at ages 12 to 18, “slow” metabolizers were more likely to become dependent than “normal” metabolizers were. Interestingly, Dr. Tyndale also found that from early adulthood, “slow” metabolism actually helps people quit smoking. Understanding how tobacco addiction begins may help determine how to reduce the risk of becoming a lifelong smoker.

    Across the Lifespan into Adulthood