by KRISTIAN GRAVENOR

In his 29 years working with troubled Montreal youth, Pierre Charest has rarely seen troubled kids in such rough shape.

"We've seen their emotional burden increase in the last few years," he says. "We've noticed a real deterioration in the state of these children."

As director of professional services and research at the Youth Centre of Montreal, Charest monitors the progress of 14,000 young people - almost 800 of whom live in group homes - sent mostly by family court after suffering physical or sexual abuse, showing aggressive behaviour or abusing alcohol or drugs.

The group recently released a study of 791 children in their care. Their findings showed that, among the 90 kids aged six to 11, two of three were found to be on a psychological medication, with 21 per cent having suicidal tendencies. The study also shows that, of 701 children from ages 11 to 17 in their care, one-quarter are on medication and 28 per cent have suicidal tendencies. One of three minor-aged suicides in Quebec is committed by a child who has received services from the youth authorities. "These numbers are far above the normal population. It tells us that these kids are in great psychological distress," he says.

Charest says that many troubled children come from families with an annual income of $15,000 or less with one parent who didn't complete Grade 9 and come from a single parent background. "The dangerous cocktail is an economically poor family where parents are socially isolated without a network of friends or family who can support them. These are the major factors that can lead to poor behaviour in children."

Last October authorities launched a strategy to target suicidal youth with a program at two local hospitals, but, Charest says, "We need more resources." The day that 18 candles are on planted on a child's cake, he says, the "net shrinks, which means we've got a lot of work to do with kids 16 or 17 to facilitate the passage to adult life. It's a crucial time because after 18 their psychological resources are a lot less."

Charest notes that many embattled youngsters succeed in spite of their difficult youth. "We have success stories. Many start families and work and live interesting lives," he says.

Michael Udy, the director of Batshaw Youth and Family Centres, says that the study's portrait of youth being medicated rings a familiar bell. "The use of medication among our clients is at levels similar to those observed at the Youth Centre. Medication isn't automatically good or bad because medication has obviously proven to be a useful therapeutic tool in a lot of different kinds of situations. There are some who wonder if youth are being overmedicated and therefore under-helped. But I don't think we have a definite answer to that," he says.

Udy says managing youth medication is a major challenge. "Young people who are in situations of turmoil often get disconnected to doctors who started their program. There aren't a lot of child and youth psychiatrists in Quebec, and of those, the ones who are interested in and or available to the youth centres are sparse, so we get concerned about being able to find adequate medical supervisions."