Behavioural Development, Long-term Outcomes and Opportunities to Optimize Youth Mental Health Trajectories

Launched by DOUGLAS MENTAL HEALTH UNIVERSITY INSTITUTE · May 11, 2025

Keywords

ClinConnect Summary

The BLOOM study is a clinical trial focused on understanding and improving mental health in young people aged 9 to 25. It aims to create a detailed picture of how different factors affect mental health over time, especially for those who might be at risk but have not yet been diagnosed with a mental health condition. The study will follow participants annually for five years, gathering information to help predict outcomes and identify ways to promote better mental health.

To take part in this study, young people should be between 9 and 25 years old and able to read and understand either French or English. They can either be seeking help for mental health issues or come from families with a history of mental health concerns. Importantly, participants will not be excluded based on their background, gender, or other personal circumstances. Throughout the study, participants can expect regular check-ins and assessments that will help researchers understand their mental health needs better. This study is a valuable opportunity to contribute to the future of youth mental health care.

Gender

ALL

Eligibility criteria

• Inclusion Criteria:
• • Youth between 9 to 25 years of age at inclusion, who are able to read and understand either French or English, with at least one parent or legal guardian available to consent for those under 18 years of age.
• Specific eligibility criteria:
• • Help-seeking group: At least one help-seeking contact made with a primary care clinical service provider or agency (e.g, paediatric/family physician clinic, CLSC or Aire Ouverte) for a mental health concern (i.e., clinical needs).
• Non help-seeking group:
• • At least one of the birth parents or siblings have received psychiatric care for a diagnosis of DMDs (i.e., family needs) OR Being in contact with community agencies that provide youth-centred social services for food, housing, social discrimination (e.g., racialized youth, LGBTQ2SIA+) (i.e., social needs) OR Having a diagnosed chronic physical illness that is expected to require treatment for \>12 months (e.g., diabetes, asthma to name a few) (i.e., physical health needs)
• Exclusion Criteria:
• • Due to the requirements of assessment procedures, youth who cannot communicate verbally due to known neurological conditions or intellectual disabilities will not be included. Youth who are already diagnosed with one of the DMDs by a physician and currently prescribed a treatment targeting the diagnosed condition (pharmacological or psychotherapeutic interventions), will not be eligible for inclusion.
• • Importantly, no one will be excluded based on sex, gender, health insurance status, ethnicity, income status, ability to travel or living arrangements. If a participant initially approached through the referral pathways for non help-seeking individuals turns out to have had at least one help-seeking contact for a mental health concern (i.e., clinical needs), the participant will still be included but classified as part of the help-seeking group. We anticipate non help-seeking referrals to satisfy more than one criteria. Their occurrence and distribution will be recorded in detail as part of our assessment procedure.