THE PROBLEM OF WAITING LISTS

Epidemiological studies suggest that approximately 14% (more than 800,000) of Canadian children aged 4 to 17 years have diagnosable mental health problems. Canadian health service utilization studies show that, as in other industrialized countries, 80% of children and youth with mental health problems do not receive timely specialist care.

Although effective treatments are potentially available, most children with diagnosable mental health disorders go untreated. Most children frequently wait extended periods for professional services. Families with children who have mild or moderate disorder are waitlisted. Many children are never referred because the referring agents know that the child will not be prioritized.

Waiting periods of months to a year result in a break in continuity between two critical points in the children’s mental health care system: the intake process and the beginning of treatment. The lack of continuity during this delay may increase problem severity, disrupt the relationship between families and service organizations, and lower the readiness for change evident when families first contact providers. Waiting lists discourage all but the most persevering families.

AVERAGE WAITING TIMES IN ONTARIO

Gordon Floyd, Executive Director of Children’s Mental Health Ontario, and a member of our Partnership Committee, reported that "On average, children in Ontario are waiting an average of 5.5 months to be seen in a children’s mental health centre. That translates into about 10,000 children at any given time who are in need of services, but not receiving any service whatsoever." (Floyd, 2005).