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Mental Health weekMay 7-13, 2012
Canadian Mental Health Association – Mental Health Week
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Research has shown that one in five people in Canada will suffer a mental illness of some kind.

Mental illnesses (or disorders) take many forms. What they have in common is that they affect a person's thoughts, emotions and behaviours. The key difference from simply "having a bad day" is how long the feeling lasts and how seriously it affects your life.

Conditions that could be defined as mental illness are surprisingly common. Some 20% of the population will experience a mental disorder at some time in their lives. This means that every single family in Canada will in some way be affected. Mental illness cannot be swept under the carpet.

Here's another startling statistic: mental illness is the number one cause of disability in Canada, accounting for nearly 30% of disability claims.

So why are we so reluctant to talk about the problem? When you consider that mental illness costs the Canadian economy a staggering $51 billion a year... it's surely everyone's concern. The first thing we need to do is gain some basic understanding – and separate myth from fact.

Some common types of mental illness

  • Mood disorders involve changes and disruptions in mood and emotions. Depression and bipolar disorder are examples.
  • Anxiety disorders cause people to be overly anxious about situations that others would consider normal. This is the most common type of mental disorder.
  • Eating disorders involve a distorted body image along with serious (even life-threatening) behaviours to manage food and weight. These include anorexia and bulimia.
  • Attention deficit (hyperactivity) disorder (ADD or ADHD) can occur in adults as well as children, affecting the ability to focus attention.
  • Schizophrenia involves losing the ability to know what's real and what isn't (psychosis). Schizophrenics have difficulty thinking, speaking and interacting in an organized way.

Other diagnosable conditions include dementia, personality disorders, and substance use disorders (addictions).

Download CMHA brochures about mental health

Download full fact sheet (PDF)

Myths and Facts

Myth: Young people and children don't suffer from mental illness.

Fact: Some 18% of young people (ages 15–24) in Canada are estimated to suffer from a mental health disorder. Suicide is the No. 2 cause of death in this age group. Ninety percent of people who commit suicide have a diagnosable
mental illness.

Myth: Mentally ill persons are dangerous.

Fact: The vast majority are not violent; in fact, they are more often victims of violence. Where violence does occur, it typically arises from a person feeling threatened or from excessive use of alcohol and/or drugs - as is the case with the general population.

Myth: People with mental illness can handle low-level jobs but not important or responsible ones.

Fact: People with mental illness, like everyone else, have the potential to work at any level depending on their abilities, experience
and motivation.

Myth: A person who has had a mental illness can never be "normal."

Fact: People with mental illnesses can and do get better and resume normal activities. The vast majority recover.

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