Mental Health

We can work things out together

Mental Health

What’s the issue? Mental illnesses and addictions are a global issue that represents a major public health problem in Canada. Approximately 20% of Canadians will experience mental illness or addiction in a given year; 50% in their lifetime. The cost to society of mental illnesses was more than 50 billion dollars in 2006 and has likely increased since then along with rising health care costs.

One reason costs are so high is because mental illnesses and addictions affect multiple aspects of society, including the workplace, social services, the criminal justice system as well as the health care system.

Another reason for high costs is the incidence and complexity of depression. As the most prevalent mental illness in Canada, depression is a significant source of costs due to:

  • the sheer number of people affected (4.8% of Canadians aged 15 and up report that they have depression)
  • the chronic nature of depression (most people experiencing one or more episodes)
  • the course of  depression (episodes typically lasting 3-4 months each, with typical onset in the late teens/early twenties)

Approximately 60% of Canadians with mental illnesses do not receive treatment. The treatment rate for addictions is even lower.

“The tragedy is not that so many people struggle with mental health problems; the tragedy is that we are still not able to make available to everyone who needs them the services and supports that we know are effective.”

– The Honorable Michael Kirby, former senator and chair of the Mental Health Commission of Canada

But treatment is only part of the solution. Reducing the burden of mental illnesses and addictions on individuals, and Canada as a whole, requires the right balance of funding for promotion, prevention, treatment and rehabilitation. Also, improving social, environmental, and financial supports for people with mental illnesses and addictions will improve their chances of recovery.

Evidence

  • Free RESEARCH WEBINAR: Wednesday, December 2, 2015, 12 noon ET
    Antipsychotics for management of delirium: a systemic review (Final Results of TVN-funded Knowledge Synthesis Grant project); (Lisa Burry, Mount Sinai Hospital). Delirium is an acute confusional state characterized by fluctuating mental status, inattention and either altered level of consciousness or disorganized thinking. Click here to register.
  • Suicide prevention and awareness for students by LearnPsychology.org. An expert-driven guide to understanding and preventing suicide among students. Suicide is the second-leading cause of death for people between the ages of 15 and 24. This guidebook  is to help students better understand suicide and depression, how to recognize warning signs in themselves or their peers, and what they can do to intervene.
  • The Canadian Journalism Forum on Violence and Trauma, in partnership with CBC News, has produced a comprehensive Canadian field guide to mental health reporting called Mindset — Reporting on Mental Health. The guide provides factual information, discusses the importance of the language used (for example not saying “committed suicide”), celebrates journalism that challenges wrong and outdated assumptions about mental illness, and encourages reporting that probes unfairness and systemic flaws. The guide is available free of charge.
  • Myth: People living with mental illness never really recover from CFHI. Mental illness is often framed as a disease just like any other. Unfortunately, this often creates confusion between cure and recovery in mental illness. A common understanding of recovery emphasizes the elimination or reduction of symptoms, which is indeed what happens for many people: research shows that anywhere from 25% to 65% of people with a serious mental illness make a full “clinical” recovery. However, assuming recovery can only mean cure ignores the growing body of research showing a person can recover a meaningful and satisfying life without necessarily being cured of the symptoms of mental illness.
  • The Mental Health Commission of Canada recently completed the first national mental health strategy. The strategy document was prepared as part of a federal government mandate. It is the result of five years of community engagement activities, research and guidance from leaders in the field. It contains many recommendations designed to change problems with the Canadian mental health care system. It also addresses broader aspects of mental health and illness, such as the impact on the workforce, poverty and homelessness, stigma and disenfranchisement, and criminalization of mental illness.
  • Mental illnesses tend to show the first signs in young people. Approximately two-thirds of people who reported mental illness in the Canadian Community Health Survey stated that their symptoms began before age 15. The development of mental illnesses and addictions may be linked to early childhood development.
  • Infant mental health practice refers to the promotion of optimal development and well-being in infants (prenatal to age three) and their families, the prevention of difficulties, and intervention when infants are at-risk or have identified problems.
  • People with mental illnesses and addictions are more likely to live in poverty and to be homeless. Much research has been conducted that highlights reasons that people with mental illnesses are more likely to be socioeconomically disadvantaged. In Canada, a large research project on supported housing options for the homeless is underway to determine the best mix of services and supports in housing options to improve the health and well being of the homeless.
  • People with mental illnesses are more likely to be victims of violence than perpetrators, yet they are over-represented in the criminal justice system. It has been estimated that up to 70% of juvenile offenders suffer from mental illness and/or substance abuse, and the rate of mental illness in correctional populations is three times higher than the general Canadian population. Many people with mental illness in the criminal justice system do not receive treatment because of inadequate resources and they are not transitioned appropriately from prison into the community.
  • People with severe mental illnesses tend to live shorter lives than those without mental illness — as much as 20-30% shorter. There are several issues contributing to this statistic:  People with mental illnesses are at increased risk of co-morbid physical diseases such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease,  and respiratory diseases. However, they are also less likely to receive appropriate care.
  • Part of the problem is that people with serious mental illnesses are less likely to seek medical care. When they do seek care, they are less likely to receive care that meets clinical guidelines — from preventative screenings to surgical procedures.  This is thought to be due, at least in part, to stigma from health care providers.
  • Mental illnesses and addictions can be effectively treated. Treatments vary from psychotherapy and cognitive-behavioral therapy, to group treatment, to medications. The goal of treatment for the majority of people with mental illness and/or addiction is achieving and maintaining recovery.
  • Nationally, mental health and addictions receives only 7.2% of available funding for health care, lower than many other developed countries (Read more about the cost of mental health services in Canada, p. ii.). The coverage of many services, like psychotherapy and medications, varies from province to province. When these services are not covered, the burden of payment is placed on a vulnerable and often disadvantaged population.
  • Promotion of positive mental health and prevention of addiction and mental illness are important public health strategies. Promotion and prevention activities can produce a ‘return on investment’ — particularly in the case of child and youth promotion and prevention. This is an especially salient point because of the estimated growth in prevalence of mental disorders in the entire population and associated costs.

Our Commentaries


Browse All Commentaries View French Commentaries

Comments are closed.