Be Safe app connects youth to mental health services, support

Young people in Sudbury, Manitoulin and Chapleau now have a new way of accessing mental health treatment and it's only a click away.

The Sudbury-Manitoulin Service Collaborative has partnered with the Centre forAddiction and Mental Health (CAMH) to introducea newsmartphone app for young people coping with mental health and addiction issues to parts of northeastern Ontario.

The Be Safe app connects people who are suffering from mental health and addiction issues to proper resources. The goal is to prevent people from harming themselves.

The app allows medical professionals to access a patient's mental health information easily, said Jordan Barr, who is promoting the service this summer.

During an emergency it may be difficult to obtain key information from a patient, he said.

"Say you're on three or four medications with varying dosages that you take on varying times during the day ... that might be hard to get out during a crisis."

Resources 'to better your situation'

The app is available for a free download in smartphone app stores, and on the website mindyourmind.ca. The app serves those living in Sudbury, Manitoulin and Chapleau, along with other more southern Ontario regions.

The app does more than simply list drug information.

"If you're looking ... to better your situation, to better understand the way you feel or maybe a friend feels, then you have the list of local resources," Barr said.

"It's going to give you a lot of ... resources that you can actually use and actually access to better your situation."

Young people between the ages of 15 and 24 are at most risk for developing mental disorders, including major depression.

One-in-five young people report symptoms of substance abuse, mood and anxiety disorders.

The Be Safe app was first introduced last year in the southwestern Ontario city of London and surrounding areas. It was developed by the London Service Collaborative, CAMH, and Mind Your Mind.

Mind Your Mind is a program that began in southwestern Ontario and was designed to give youth an active voice in the development of mental health services for young people.