A new population-based study has found a rise in psychotic disorder diagnoses among young people in Ontario.
This study highlights growing pressure on the mental health care system and the need for earlier intervention.
The Canadian Medical Association Journal conducted research on emergency department visits and hospital admissions from 1997 to 2023, tracking when individuals received their first diagnosis of a psychotic disorder.
“This study was a population-based study,” Maya Gibb, a first-year medical student at Queen’s University, worked as a research coordinator on the study while based in Ottawa. “We used health administrative data, emergency department visits and hospital admissions.”
Gibb said the most important takeaway is what this trend means for the healthcare system.
“This is evidence to policymakers… to increase access to early psychosis programs potentially… we know that when people get access to early psychosis care, they will have better outcomes down the road.”
While the study showed a clear trend in diagnoses among young people, it did not specify the causes behind the increase.
“We compared older generations to today’s youth and their new diagnoses of psychotic disorders,” She said.
For those with lived experience, early treatment can be life-changing.
A journalism student experienced psychosis as a young adult and shared her experience with XFM News.
“It was definitely the hardest thing I’ve ever been through. I started hearing voices and having delusions, and I had to be hospitalized, and they put me on medication. It was just a good environment for me, and I was able to get better. ”
She says medication and inpatient care were key to her recovery, and encourages others not to fear asking for help.
“Don’t be afraid to be in inpatient care, it’s honestly the most helpful place you can be.”
Researchers say future studies will focus more closely on substance use and its relationship to psychosis.
For now, Gibb hopes the study will help draw attention to the growing demand for mental health resources.
CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal) – https://www.cmaj.ca/content/198/4/E118
