Metabolic Program

About the Metabolic Program?

The program provides care for children and youth with mental health disorders who are at high risk for side effects from certain medications. These are children who:

  • have metabolic problems, or
  • may develop metabolic side effects from Atypical Antipsychotic medications, or
  • have pre-existing metabolic problems (excluding type 1 diabetes) and have recently been diagnosed with mental illness.

Click here to download a PDF of the program brochure.


To learn more about different antipsychotic medications, click here.

What are some metabolic syndrome side effects/conditions?

They include:

  • weight gain (especially around the belly)
  • high blood sugar
  • high blood pressure
  • high cholesterol level
  • high triglyceride level

If 3 or more of these occur together, this is called Metabolic Syndrome.

Contact: 
Provincial Mental Health Metabolic Program
BC Children’s Hospital
Box 141– 4500 Oak Street
Vancouver, BC V6H 3N1
Phone: 604-875-2010
Fax 604-875-2099

Directions
Enter the hospital site through Gate 3 (Heather Street and 29th Avenue entrance). Proceed straight ahead and turn left at the stop sign. The Mental Health Building is located on the right. Please use Entrance 85 and check in at reception.

Please note: Patient parking is available on site. When coming for appointments, please allow yourself extra time for parking.

See Also: 
NEW! Healthy Living Toolkits Now Available!
These toolkits contain information, resources, and tools to help children and youth with mental health challenges develop healthy living habits.
Dietitians of Canada
Eat Well Live Well section with healthy eating resources, including: ‘EATracker’ where you can record daily intake with nutritional analysis; tip sheets; a virtual grocery store tour, etc.
Health Canada
Access to: Eating Well with Canada’s Food Guide (Free copies can be ordered in many languages as well as a Food Guide for First Nations, Inuit, and Métis; My Food Guide (build your own food guide); My Food Guide Serving Tracker; Eat Well and Be Active Toolkit (includes downloadable activity plans); Nutrition labelling resources
Caring for Kids
Good general resources for parents around promoting healthy eating habits and working around picky eating
Ellyn Satter
Many resources for parents on the Division of Responsibility in Feeding, how and what to feed children, family meals and meal planning.
ActNow BC
Contains many tips, tools and resources related to healthy eating.
Dietitian Services at HealthLink BC
Nutrition handouts on healthy eating for specific age groups as well as for different medical conditions. Dietitians can also be accessed for free by calling the Nurses hotline at 8-1-1

RBC Children's Mental Health Project

RBC Children’s Mental Health Project is RBC's cornerstone “health and wellness” pillar; RBC Children’s Mental Heath Project is a multi-year philanthropic commitment to support community-based and hospital programs that reduce stigma, provide early intervention and increase public awareness about children’s mental health issues.

BC Mental Health & Addiction Services

This is an agency of Provincial Health Services Authority, providing provincial tertiary mental health services to the citizens of British Columbia. Programs include: Adult Tertiary Psychiatry, Geriatric Psychiatry, Forensic Psychiatric Services, Child & Adolescent Mental Health, Women’s Reproductive Mental Health, as well as the Provincial Specialized Eating Disorders Program for children and youth located at the BC Children’s Hospital.

BC Children's Hospital Foundation

Through a wide range of fundraising events and opportunities, The BC Children's Hospital Foundation is united with its donors by a single, simple passion - to improve the health and the lives of the young people who enter BC Children's Hospital every day.