The final report by the Minister’s Advisory Group on Mental Health and Addictions is now publicly available.

The report, Respect, Recovery, Resilience: Recommendations for Ontario’s Mental Health and Addictions Strategy, identifies the need for a collaborative, patient-centered approach to mental health and addictions services.

Overall the report focuses on evidence and best practices while considering the social determinants of health, diversity, stigma and discrimination. Chief among the recommendations is to make better use of existing resources by integrating services across sectors, in particular, with education, justice, housing and social services.

Some of the other recommendations include:

• A shift towards enhancing community-based mental health and addictions supports and services;
• The development of early identification and intervention programs for children and youth;
• Actively promoting wellness and mental health supports across the lifespan, for example, through programs for seniors in a community setting.

The Advisory Group is comprised of experts from the field, service providers and people with lived experience. To write their final report, the group heard from many people living with and affected by mental illness and addictions, as well as front line leaders and staff from health, education, children’s, social service and housing organizations.