US EditionB.C. releases guidance for doctors on youth mental health and substance-use care
Guidance clarifies involuntary care for youth under 19 under B.C.'s Mental Health Act, aiming to reduce brain injuries and deaths, with over 2,000 mental-health beds available.
- On Dec 5, 2025, the British Columbia government published guidance clarifying how people under 19 can be admitted under the Mental Health Act at a parent's or guardian's request.
- Provincial officials say the change responds to the prior 'mature minor' practice by B.C. physicians, aiming to protect vulnerable youth under 19 from permanent brain injury or death.
- The province also amended the Mental Health Act to guarantee detained people, including those under 19, the right to meet an independent rights adviser and notes more than 2,000 mental‑health beds provide involuntary care.
- A coalition of critics responded that involuntary treatment is traumatic, raises overdose risk, and Three hundred physicians, nurses and health‑care workers pledged to refuse certification when substance use is the sole disorder.
- Personal stories from families describe how Dr. Rachel Staples, bereaved mother, and Brock Eurchuk say they were shut out of Elliot Eurchuk’s health care during his high-risk overdose situation.
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BC Directs Doctors to Contact Parents Before Committing Youth to Involuntary Care for Drug Abuse
B.C. has released guidelines for physicians treating those under 19 with a combination of mental health and substance use issues, stipulating that physicians should contact the youth’s parents. The guidelines were released on Dec. 5 and include direction for physicians to notify parents and have the youth involuntarily detained if they are unable or unwilling to seek help on their own. Earlier this year, the province released guidelines for invo…
Physicians must notify parents if child shows up with overlapping mental health, drug use issues: B.C.
The B.C. government is issuing new guidance for physicians treating youth with overlapping mental health and substance use issues. It directs doctors to notify parents and potentially involuntarily detain youth if they're unable or unwilling to seek care themselves.
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