For 40 years, youth mental health and autism has been at the heart of the Fondation les petits trésors' mission. In addition to supporting research and mental health care at the Hôpital en santé mentale Rivière-des-Prairies, the foundation offers awareness-raising activities, and supports organizations that provide respite to families across Quebec.
Presentation
We need to acknowledge that mental health distress is like a storm in the lives of our children and adolescents.
When the storm hits, it takes up all the space, leaving in its wake distraught young people and families who struggle to put the pieces back together again. Like a hurricane, bringing fear until it loses intensity, sometimes the stormy season can last all year round.
For the nearly 350,000 Quebec families affected, the difficulties they encounter on a daily basis represent enormous challenges, sometimes seeming insurmountable. In 1980, a few parents made the commitment to make a positive difference in the lives of their children and families. Today, the Fondation les petits trésors speaks and acts on behalf of these young people and their families, whose futures are threatened by a mental health issue or autism.
Source : Canadian Institute of Health
For mental health disorders in our children and adolescents, there are approximately
300 different diagnoses.
Among the most common are depression, suicidal behaviour, anxiety, ADD (with or without H), borderline personality disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, bipolar disorder, psychotic disorder. Autism, even though it is not a disease, is treated in child psychiatry.
Disorders
& statistics
Between 2008 and 2019, visits to emergency departments for mental health reasons increased by 61%, and hospitalizations by 60%
In 2018-19, 1 in 11 young people received an antipsychotic or medication for an anxiety or mood disorder
One in 66 children will be diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD)
80% of young people with a mental health issue also experience sleep problems
25 % of young people suffer from anxiety disorders
10 % of children under 10 have had thoughts of suicide
Source : Canadian Institute of Health
Autism
is close to our hearts
In order to support even more organizations and activities throughout Quebec, the Foundation has decided to join forces with the Fondation de l'autisme to better meet the needs of families affected by mental health issues or autism spectrum disorder (ASD).