Club Ados Actifs has been available since fall 2022 for National Capital region adolescents who have experienced an initial psychotic episode and receive treatment and follow-up care until age 18 at Clinique DIPP, Centre de pédopsychiatrie du CIUSSS de la Capitale-Nationale. Adolescent-onset psychosis often requires one or more hospitalizations, affecting the young person’s education, family, and social life. The DIPP Clinic treats about 50 new young people per year. The Clinique DIPP team founded Club Ados Actifs for teens with psychosis, contributing to their recovery by encouraging them to get active and socialize with young people experiencing similar challenges. This project aims to help young people feel less isolated. It motivates them to be active and explore their interests in sports, art, or volunteering so they can uncover their own potential. The group meets outside school hours, away from the hospital, for two activities a month under the supervision of at least two professionals from the medical team (clinical nurse, social worker, occupational therapist, psychologist, child psychiatrist). No commitment is required; the young person chooses whether they want to participate in the activity being offered. Activities vary: walking along the trails of the Parc linéaire de la Rivière-Saint-Charles, self-defence training at a certified instructor’s studio, volunteering to deliver Christmas baskets to underprivileged people, different team sports at a gym, and more. The group, which launched three months ago, includes a dozen teens aged 15 to 18 (three to five teens per activity). The Club encourages young people to take the initiative and repeat their favourite experiences on their own. The professionals also hold informal discussions about healthy lifestyle habits that have a significant impact on physical and mental health.

Project submitted by the team at the Clinique Psychose du Centre de pédopsychiatrie du CIUSSS de la Capitale-Nationale (psychosis clinic at the pediatric psychiatry centre, CIUSSS, National Capital region)

Other contributors: Sandra St-Jean, Social Worker, Isabelle Boivin, Clinical Nurse, Nancy Caron, Occupational Therapist, Nancy Corriveau, Department Head, Karine Desharnais, Pharmacist, Marie-Anne Gariépy, Neuropsychologist, Marie-Josée Marois, Psychologist, and Anne-Sophie Beaudoin, MD, Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist