Can We Help?

FEMAP can help you if you are:

• Experiencing an episode of anxiety and/or mood symptoms and you have not been in treatment for these symptoms for more than 18 months
• Between 16 and 26 years old

FEMAP is involved in scientific research to better understand mood and anxiety symptoms. You can contribute by participating.

There are two ways you can access help at FEMAP:

1. Being recommended by a health practitioner (e.g. a family doctor, counselor, mental health specialist)
2. Self-referral - you can contact us directly!

If you have addictions to alcohol and/or marijuana and/or other recreational drug FEMAP is available to help you as well, but you may also be referred to an addictions program.

What to Expect:

When you make your first call to the First Episode Mood and Anxiety Program (FEMAP) you will probably first speak with Darlene, the receptionist. Darlene’s role is to make a brief assessment of your fit with FEMAP. Following this she will take any necessary information and make an appointment for you with our Health Systems Research Coordinator, Christeen.

Your appointment with Christeen will be scheduled within the weeks following your first phone call. This meeting will involve a more detailed look at what you are currently experiencing (an informal conversation as well as symptom checklists).

If our program is a good fit for you then an appointment will be made with one of our psychiatrists. If it appears that another program in London would be of greater benefit to you, Christeen will help with that process, if you want her to.

Your first appointment with one of our doctors will consist of discussing your concerns and beginning to develop a plan to help you.

There is no specified number of sessions you will have with our doctors. This will depend upon your interest, motivation and clinical needs.

It is the expectation (not requirement) that FEMAP patients will volunteer to participate in studies of the nature, causes of and best way to serve our future patients. Only through such volunteerism will we be able to progress towards better care of individuals with mood and anxiety concerns.