The Province is taking action to improve care for young people who suffer from severe, overlapping mental-health and substance-use challenges by providing guidance about how involuntary care can be provided for people younger than 19, when they are unable or unwilling to seek care themselves.

The new guidance will help physicians clarify when young people can be admitted under the Mental Health Act at their parent’s or guardian’s request, ensuring they can get life-saving treatment.  

“I have met parents whose children have died because they were unable to hold them in care and get them the treatment they need including medication that prevents brain injury and overdose,” said Premier David Eby. “We have to do better. This new guidance will help protect some of our most vulnerable and our precious from permanent brain injury or death, while opening the door to rebuilding their lives.” 

Dr. Daniel Vigo, B.C.’s chief scientific adviser for psychiatry, toxic drugs and concurrent disorders, has developed a guidance document for doctors and psychiatrists across all health authorities that provides clarity about how the Mental Health Act can be applied to provide involuntary care for young people younger than 19.

“Children and youth with severe mental disorders, including substance-use disorders, sometimes need urgent and decisive intervention,” Vigo said. “This guidance indicates how physicians can help children and families leverage the Mental Health Act therapeutically, always prioritizing the least restrictive intervention. When absolutely needed, the act is a fundamental tool to prevent brain injury and save lives, creating a critical window of opportunity to develop long-term therapeutic strategies that keep our children healthy and safe.”

The current guidance builds on the guidance for treatment of adults under the act, which Vigo released this year. It provides clarifying information specific to children and youth younger than 19.

“My daughter’s death has driven my need to make change,” said Brenda Doherty, a mother with lived experience. “I believe these involuntary care guidelines for children and youth will provide an option I never had.”

Dr. Rachel Staples said: “As a mother who lost her son Elliot to the devastating impacts of mental health and addiction, I know first-hand that families will do anything to keep their children safe. No parent should have to stand by helplessly while their child slips away. This is why this guidance matters. This is about giving families a fighting chance to save their children’s lives before it’s too late.”

Additionally, the Province has now fully implemented changes that ensure people detained under the Mental Health Act have the legal right to meet with an independent rights adviser, including those younger than 19. This free and confidential advice will help people understand what is happening and ensure they are able to access their legal rights if they wish to challenge their admission. This service is also available to children younger than 16 who are admitted at the request of a parent or guardian.

“When a young person is in crisis with overlapping mental-health and substance-use challenges, they may be at their most vulnerable and unable to seek care for themselves,” said Josie Osborne, Minister of Health. “This guidance clarifies how the Mental Health Act can and should be applied to ensure youth receive the care they need in a safe, dignified and respectful way. It’s an important tool to support young people during their most critical moments.”

More than 2,000 mental-health beds in B.C. can provide involuntary care when needed, and government is working to open more involuntary care beds in communities throughout the province. This includes opening involuntary care beds at Surrey Pretrial Services Centre and Alouette Homes in Maple Ridge this year, as well as work underway to open mental-health facilities in Surrey and Prince George that will have the capability to provide voluntary and involuntary care.

This is part of government’s work to build a voluntary, seamless system of mental-health and substance-use care. This includes more than 3,700 treatment and recovery beds, of which more than 760 are new since 2017, launching the Opioid Treatment Access Line, expanding Road to Recovery, opening Foundry youth centres, First Nations healing facilities and building thousands of supportive-housing units.

Quotes:

Amna Shah, parliamentary secretary for mental health and addictions –

“This guidance is an important step toward ensuring the Mental Health Act is applied consistently across B.C., and will help clinicians in making treatment decisions when a young person’s health and safety are at risk. By improving clarity and consistency, we strengthen our system of care and help protect youth facing complex mental-health and substance-use challenges.”

Christine Moore, mother with lived experience –

“My son Christopher faced profound mental-health and substance-use challenges, and like so many families, we often found ourselves in crisis with nowhere to turn. Clear, consistent guidance on how the Mental Health Act can be used for youth is essential. It means families like ours can act sooner, with more certainty, when a young person’s life is at risk and early intervention is critical. We support this clarity, because if it helps prevent even one family from experiencing the loss we carry, then it is an important step forward in protecting vulnerable young people and ensuring they receive timely, life-saving care.”

Nancy Ford, former executive director, Pathways Serious Mental Illness Society, and person with lived experience –  

“My son would likely be dead, or in prison, without intervention. His anosognosia left him unable to recognize his psychosis or make safe decisions. Thanks to B.C.’s Mental Health Act, he received timely treatment and was hospitalized when schizophrenia caused his bizarre behaviour. We are grateful Premier Eby is strengthening the act to ensure involuntary patients receive needed treatment, which stabilizes serious mental illness, restores judgment and begins healing for those in crisis and their families.”

Susan Inman, vice-president, Family Alliance on Severe Mental Illnesses –

“As the mother of a daughter who has lived with schizophrenia for over 25 years, both she and I know the crucial role that access to involuntary treatment has played in helping her escape the hell of psychosis. When she was a patient at the B.C. Psychosis Program and nothing was working to get her out of psychosis, the staff suggested electroconvulsive therapy. She agreed and ECT freed her from psychosis and auditory hallucinations.”

Dr. Tom Warshawski, medical director, Youth Recovery House, Kelowna –

“Physicians who care for children and youth with serious mental-health disorders, including substance-use disorders, welcome this guidance document, which clarifies how substance-use disorders fit within the Mental Health Act. This will help standardize and optimize the medical care provided to youth with substance disorders. It may save lives.”

Quick Facts:

• In June 2024, Premier Eby appointed Vigo as B.C.’s first chief scientific adviser for psychiatry, toxic drugs and concurrent disorders.
• In March 2025, Vigo released a guidance document to the clinical community to provide clarification about how the Mental Health Act can be used to provide involuntary care for adults when they are unable to seek it themselves.
• The Mental Health Act has been in force since 1964.
• As of Dec. 3, 2025, people involuntarily detained under the Mental Health Act have a legal right to meet with an independent rights adviser.
• Under the Mental Health Act, involuntary treatment is limited to psychiatric treatment only.

Learn More:

To read about Vigo’s guidance about applying the Mental Health Act for young people, visit: https://www2.gov.bc.ca/assets/gov/health/managing-your-health/mental-health-substance-use/general_guidance_for_physicians_on_treatment_of_children_and_youth_with_substance_use_disorders.pdf

To read about Vigo’s guidance about how the Mental Health Act can be used to provide involuntary care for adults when they are unable to seek it themselves, visit: https://news.gov.bc.ca/releases/2025HLTH0015-000202

To read about the Independent Rights Advice Service, visit: https://news.gov.bc.ca/releases/2025AG0070-001191

Learn about mental health and substance use supports in B.C.: https://gov.bc.ca/BetterCare

For more about the Mental Health Act, visit: Mental Health Act - Province of British Columbia

Two backgrounders follow.