THUNDER BAY – A national initiative, the ACCESS Open Minds Indigenous Youth Mental Health and Wellness Network, to improve mental health care for Indigenous youth, led by researchers from Lakehead University and McGill University, has received $1.45 million from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR).

Lakehead’s Dr. Christopher Mushquash, Canada Research Chair in Indigenous Mental Health and Addiction, Professor in the Department of Psychology, Vice President of Research at the Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre and Chief Scientist, Thunder Bay Regional Health Research Institute, and McGill’s Dr. Srividya Iyer, Tier 1 Canada Research Chair in Youth, Mental Health, and Learning Health Systems and Professor in the Department of Psychiatry, are leading the five-year project. This initiative will strengthen the capacity of Indigenous communities and Integrated Youth Services (IYS) to provide culturally affirming, high-quality, and responsive mental health care to Indigenous youth.

It brings together youth, elders, family members, researchers, communities and leading Indigenous organizations including the Thunderbird Partnership Foundation led by Dr. Carol Hopkins and the First Peoples Wellness Circle led by Dr. Brenda Restoule. Dilico Anishinabek Family Care is also a partner in the project.

“By centering Indigenous knowledge and practices, we aim to create a sustainable and culturally relevant mental health system for Indigenous youth. This project is a testament to the power of collaboration and the wisdom of Indigenous communities and youth in addressing mental health challenges,” said Mushquash.

Indigenous youth in Canada have experienced significant population growth, accompanied by increasing concerns about their mental health and well-being. Adverse childhood experiences, influenced by historical and systemic factors such as intergenerational trauma, cultural disconnection, poverty, and socioeconomic disadvantage, disproportionately affect Indigenous youth. Limited access to health services, culturally inappropriate care, and geographic barriers further exacerbate these challenges.

“We have an opportunity to listen to and work with Indigenous youth to address mental health inequities by promoting practices that place Indigenous knowledge, values ​​and traditions at the heart of mental health and wellness services,” Iyer emphasizes.

Over the next five years, the interdisciplinary research team will focus on building relationships and developing service practices, tools, interventions and training programs to shape a learning health system that will inform the delivery of mental health and wellness services for Indigenous youth across Canada. It will also help build the capacity of future leaders in Indigenous communities.

“By providing primary care providers, communities, families and youth with the tools and knowledge on how to navigate the health care system, we build capacity within Indigenous communities to ensure youth-focused mental health resources are available to them,” Mushquash explains.

The Government of Canada recently invested $59 million in the Integrated Youth Services Network of Networks (IYS-Net) to strengthen and expand IYS ​​across Canada. IYS is an innovative approach to youth-focused mental health that provides youth with equal access to a range of health-promoting services and supports. This includes mental health and substance abuse services, as well as primary care, peer support, employment and study support, and more. Associate Professor Dr. Aislin Mushquash, Associate Professor Dr. Elaine Toombs, and Postdoctoral Fellow Dr. Carolyn Melro from Lakehead University are also members of the network.

Mushquash concludes, “Through the larger IYS-Net initiative, we have the opportunity to address mental health disparities, not only in Indigenous communities, but also for youth across Canada.”

In 2023/24, Lakehead University received nearly $2.5 million in support from the Research Support Fund to support the indirect costs of research, including costs to support intellectual property management, research and administration, ethics and regulatory compliance, research resources, research facilities, and research security.

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