More and more young Quebecers are using antidepressants, particularly to combat anxiety, a phenomenon that worries pediatricians who regret that mental health resources are often difficult to access.
• Also read: Even more young girls under 17 are taking antidepressants in Quebec
• Also read: Rise of antidepressants in young people: a childhood in a fog
The number of young people under 17 years of age prescribed these drugs continued to increase in 2022, despite the post-pandemic context: there are now almost 8,200, an increase of 10% compared to the previous year (see details below).
Antidepressants can be used for depression, but they can also often be used to treat anxiety disorders, points out pediatrician Valérie Labbé.
The doctor is not surprised by these numbers; they correspond to what she sees every day: an “enormous increase” in young people “who are not doing well,” she describes.
Most of the young patients who come to her practice with their parents consult them about psychological problems.
“There is a real pandemic of fear and grief among young people and their parents,” she says.
The first choice should always be psychotherapy and psychosocial interventions, but demand is so great that available resources cannot meet all needs, she adds.
Medication then becomes the “last resort”. “We are using it more and more in situations where the child is very unwell and in a situation of great dysfunction,” she says.
However, taking medication, which should always be supervised by a psychiatric professional, should never be taken lightly, as later withdrawal can be difficult, adds Dr. Labbe added.
“A bandage on the wound”
The situation is similar with the pediatrician Jean-Benoît Bouchard. “Our young people are suffering and sometimes they don’t have the psychological resources to help them,” so “we try to bandage the wound,” he says.
“Doctors are probably slightly more available than mental health professionals at the moment,” which could explain the increase, he adds.
Prevention at school
To remedy the situation, “general prevention” should be “a must” in school, both in primary and secondary schools and in CEGEP, says psychologist and professor at UQAM Diane Marcotte, who runs a program to combat anxiety CEGEP students.
The goal is to target all students to prevent mental health problems in advance, which could help “relieve pressure on individual services” that can’t meet demand, she says.
This approach was also implemented in a primary school in Quebec, where all students were introduced to meditation and mindfulness at the beginning of the year (see other text below).
For their part, the pediatricians consulted by Le Journal recall the importance of good lifestyle habits, which can make a big difference in the life of a young person.
“It is important that young people avoid cell phones and video games, exercise, eat well and sleep well,” concludes Dr. Bouchard together.
USE OF ANTIDEPRESSANTS IN YOUNG QUEBECANS
Number of young people under 17 years of age
- 2022: 8196
- 2021: 7453
- 2020: 6043
- 2019: 5228
A significant increase for years
In 2014, 2931 Teens used antidepressants
Source: Quebec Health Insurance Board
Schools are stepping up their efforts to combat young people’s fears
There are more and more initiatives in schools to address young people’s fears, sometimes as early as elementary school, as in a school in Quebec where all students received an introductory meditation workshop at the beginning of the year.
In a third grade class at Saint-Michel School in the Sillery district, speaker Sophie Paquet asks the students why we can meditate. Hands go up. “To calm you down,” says one student. “To feel good,” replies another.
After a few breathing exercises, Ms. Paquet invites the children to immerse themselves in their imagination and build a “hut” in their heads where they will feel comfortable and to which they can return whenever they want. Obviously the exercise appeals to many people.
These meditation workshops, which all students from kindergarten to sixth grade took part in at the beginning of the year, are the result of an initiative by music teacher Nathalie Bérubé, who has been experimenting with meditation with her students for three years.
Sophie Paquet from the organization Meditation at Sunrise gives mindfulness workshops to third graders at Saint-Michel School. At this elementary school in Quebec, all children received an introductory meditation workshop at the beginning of the year. Photo Stevens LeBlanc
“I believe in it very much, I see concrete results. It helps the students and they ask for more,” she says.
Pediatrician Valérie Labbé welcomes this type of initiative, which focuses on a universal prevention approach.
“We need to think about considering interventions in schools for everyone and especially for those who need them most,” she says.
For her part, UQAM professor Diane Marcotte points out that meditation “generally has positive effects across multiple age groups.”
However, there are “several other strategies” to prevent anxiety and depression in young people “that mental health professionals can teach to teachers,” who in turn can pass them on to students, she points out.
Developing social skills is also essential, adds Ms. Marcotte.
For its part, the Association of Psychiatrists of Quebec called for the introduction of a mental health education course in schools in 2019, a request that was not heeded.
Can you share information about this story?
Write to us or call us directly at 1 800-63SCOOP.