Dr. Rachel Mitchell discusses youth mental health on CBC Radio Ontario Today
Dr. Rachel Mitchell, a child and adolescent psychiatrist in Sunnybrook’s Hurvitz Brain Sciences Program, was the featured guest expert on a recent edition of Ontario Today on CBC Radio.
Dr. Mitchell responded to callers’ questions during a rare extended edition of Ontario Today which was lengthened to 90 minutes from the usual one hour show to support community questions about the challenges youth and families are facing through this third wave of the pandemic.
Dr. Mitchell normalized for callers the lack of motivation that some young people may be feeling.
“Motivation is muted because our world and our lives are a bit muted right now,”
She added that each family can come together to discuss their own way to “access that motivation, access that ‘fire’, because it’s still there!”
As young people and families are facing various challenges, including missed milestones or decision-making about the future in an uncertain time, Dr. Mitchell emphasized that both parents and children are struggling with mental health in the pandemic.
“Acknowledge there’s a lot of loss here and that everybody is feeling it,” said Dr. Mitchell who also highlighted resilience during the pandemic. “We are all wired to adapt.”
Listen to the full show: Ontario Today »
If you need help in an emergency, please call 911 or visit your local emergency department.
If you’re feeling like you’re in crisis or need somebody to talk to, please know that help is also available through community resources:
- Find a local crisis resource at sunnybrook.ca/gethelp
- Crisis Services Canada
- Phone: 24-hour, toll-free 1-833-456-4566
- Text: 45645 (4:00 p.m. – midnight Eastern Time)
- Kids Help Phone
- Phone: 24-hour, toll-free, 1-800-668-6868
- Text: 686868 (24 hours, 7 days a week)
Mental health resources for coping during COVID-19 from Sunnybrook experts
