Dr. Mario Cappelli was recently quoted in an article featured in the Toronto Star, that highlighted the difficulties facing “transitional age” or “emerging” adults in their mental health care. As young adults turn 18 they suddenly “age out” of the specific programs and treatment options available to youth. This often creates a gap in treatment for young adults in their late teens.
“You develop a relationship with a trusted (care) provider or institution and suddenly that trust is gone because you’ve aged out,” says Dr. Mario Cappelli, a psychiatrist working with the mental health commission.
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One means of bridging the gap between child and adult services, says Cappelli, is to offer options that begin in adolescence and continue through a person’s mid to late-20s.
“The transition happens much later on … when we know that there is more maturation emotionally, developmentally and physically,” says Cappelli, who sits on the board of one such organization, Stella’s Place, in Toronto.
You can read the full article by clicking here.