(Canada) Ontario study shows 20% of kids have mental health issue; more than a million affected

April 17, 2019, Science Daily: Major study finds one in five children have mental health problems--Results from the Ontario Child Health Study (OCHS) https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/04/190417153803.htm One in five Ontario children and youth suffer from a mental disorder, but less than one-third have had contact with a mental health care provider, says the Ontario Child Health Study (OCHS). Although those overall results echo a similar study from 1983, the new study found a much larger proportion of children and youth with a disorder had contact with other health providers and in other settings, most often through schools. … Hyperactivity disorder in boys four to 11 years old jumped dramatically from nine to 16 percent, but there has been a substantial drop in disruptive behaviour among males 12 to 16 years old from 10 to 3 per cent. There has been a steep increase in anxiety and depression among both male and female youth from 9 to 13 per cent…. The study also found that in the past year more than eight per cent of youth thought about suicide, and 4 per cent reported a suicide attempt…. "This is a very robust study we feel represents the situation in Canada," said Michael Boyle, co-principal investigator of the study. "That means there are more than a million Canadian children and youth with a mental health problem. This needs to be addressed." Co-principal investigator Kathy Georgiades added: "This study underscores the continued need for effective prevention and intervention programs."