AnonymousOctober 19, 2010 09:35 EST

What a fabulous initiative!

It would be great to hear more on how young women and men are affected and treated differently when it comes to mental health.

Why does gender matter?
- 44% of young women are likely to report feeling constantly stressed (versus 28.7% of young men)
- 14% of Aboriginal girls are likely to feel seriously distressed (versus 10% of the general population of girls)
- Female-to-male incidence of depression averages 2 to 1 and young women are twice as likely to be hospitalized
- Racialized girls experience challenges when accessing services intended to support young people
- Newcomer and refugee girls face additional stresses related to settlement and/or surviving trauma

At Girls Action Foundation, we have been trying to raise the issue of young women\\\'s mental health and the lack of young women\\\'s voices in the discussions around mental health issues.

The fact is that boys’ and girls’ mental health needs are different and need to be approached differently. Our approach to mental health favours an integrated framework for understanding and responding to girls’ mental health needs.

We invite you to check out our recent publication — The Need for a Gender-Sensitive Approach to the Mental Health of Young Canadians: http://bit.ly/cwHwWu