Canadian Alliance on Mental Illness and Mental Health

“The Canadian Mental Health Association estimates that 1 in 5 Canadians will develop a mental illness at some time in their lives.” Mental illness is defined as a mental pattern that causes an impaired ability to function normally in ordinary life. Mental illnesses can affect persons of any age, race, religion, or income and are not the result of personal weakness, lack of character or poor upbringing. A number of factors can contribute to whether an individual will develop a mental illness, with these factors being present individually or in multiples. A number of factors have been identified that contribute towards initiating mental illness, but no individual factor has been definitively identified as ‘the’ factor that causes a mental illness. Symptoms of mental illness can range from mild to severe and are classified into two main categories as being either organic disorders or functional disorders. Organic disorders cause a decrease in the mental function of the brain due to a medical disease; while functional disorders cause a derangement of the mind. The type and severity of the disorder determines if it will be short-term and treatable or if it will be permanent or degenerative and untreatable. There are a variety of community and medical services available to assist those who are affected by mental illness. These services are available on an in-patient or out-patient basis depending on the level of severity, with the general trend towards

Mental illness is increasingly being recognized as a challenge faced by many Canadians. The Mental Health Strategy for Canada estimates that ‘in any given year, one in five people in Canada experiences a mental health problem or illness’. (Bartram et al., 2012) The prevalence of mental illness is not exclusive to the Canadian population and it is estimated that these figures are rising. In 2004, the World Health Organization ranked major depression as third in terms of the overall burden of diseases in the world, (measured by Disability-Adjusted Life Years) and it is predicted to rise to second by 2030. (Langlois et al., 2011) One of the greatest concerns is that many in need of mental health services are not receiving treatment. Adolescence is a vulnerable period for the onset of mental illness and gender differences are evident in terms of prevalence and causation. Gender specific mental health services should be incorporated into the Canadian school system to promote mental health among adolescents, identify those who require individualized services and reduce the stigma associated with mental illness.

Canada is proud as a nation of a multicultural society, one-third of its population are born Canadians and the rest are immigrants (Mikkonen et al, 2010). Immigrants in Canada experience poor living conditions that are affecting their health and overall well-being of the Canadian population (Mikkonen et al, 2010).Researchers of Statistics Canada have identified low-income status as the factor affecting the health of immigrants in all education levels including university graduates, and various age categories (Mikkonen et al, 2010). A qualitative study conducted using 147 families in low-income areas of Montreal, Vancouver, and Toronto, highlights the struggle that immigrants experience in Canada’s labour market (Labonté et al, 2015). One of the main concern that the immigrants expressed in terms of their employment are the lack job security or insecurity and about half of them

The Canadian mental health association is an organization that was founded in 1918. An organization that is known today as one of the oldest voluntary facilities in Canada. CMHA is a nationwide organization that promotes the overall health of individuals as well as ensuring that their clients, viewers and those in need are each treated humanely despite their circumstance. Praising those individuals for their resilience and recovery experiencing and overcoming their individual mental health battle. In addition, CMHA is an organization that connects their clients and service users with many services like , educational opportunities, as well as offer advocacy and research. The mental health model/perspective

The authors of this paper begin by describing that although there is a high occurrence of children and adolescents with mental health disorders, Canada lacks certain policies and services in order to support mental health care. The authors examined the accessibility, substance and status of mental health care services and systems for youth in all provinces and territories of Canada. If policies did exist, they were assessed using the WHO (World Health Organization) framework. The results of this paper explain that only four provinces contain child and adolescent mental health policies and plans, however the policies and plans that do occur are lacking vital components. The authors continue by recommending better development of Canadian mental

Mental health services are essential to the overall wellbeing for Canadians, especially for those who face severe mental issues everyday. The Canadian Mental Health Association provides exceptional care and services. The article, Age, Gender, and the Underutilization of Mental Health Services suggests that “the mental health needs of individuals within and outside of North America are not being adequately met. Mental illness is prevalent; roughly 30–50% of people will experience a mental disorder in their lifetimes” (Mackenzie, C. S., Gekoski, W. L., & Knox, V. J. 2006). The CMHA strives to offer care and help for those of the community who need it.

According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness, “1 in 4 adults live with a serious mental illness (Ken).” This means that in American there are almost 62 million people suffering from mental illness (Mayo Clinic). With that being said, only a small portion of the United States’ healthcare budget is used to fund mental health related research and facilities. Sarah Kliff, journalist for the Washington Post, reported, “…about 5.6 percent of the national health-care spending, according to a 2011 paper in the journal Health Affairs (Sarah).” Kliff also expressed that the United States has a budget of $113 billion dollars annually to spend on healthcare. Consequently, that means that only 6.3 billion dollars are spent on mental health issues every year. This is a staggering number consider that roughly 25% of the United States’ population is living with a serious mental illness (Sarah) Due to the large portion of American’s living with serious mental illnesses it directly impacts family communication. To get a better understand on family communication and mental illness this paper will discuss what a mental illness, communication symptoms of mental illness, how to improve mental illness, as well as communicating options for help with your loved one.

Recent research has shown that young people face a varying number of challenges during maturation. Pearce, Cross, Monks, Waters and Falconer (2011) found that common stressors and anxieties for young people are related to relational issues (e.g., family, romantic), scholastic obligations (e.g., study), self-esteem (e.g., body image), emotional wellbeing, and bullying. As such, the mental wellbeing of young people is becoming a serious national issue. Annually, on average 27% of young people aged from 16 to 24 are experiencing some form of mental illness or mental health problems (Slade, Johnston, Oakley Browne, Andrews, & Whiteford,

The government agency selected is Children’s Mental Health Ontario (CMHO), situated in Toronto, Ontario. The Ontario Association of Children’s Mental Health Centres (OACMHC) was built by individuals in 1972. Through OACMHC, all children’s mental health focuses started to share data, supported strategies, projects, and finances to enhance the condition of children’s psychological wellness all through the region. In 1999 OACMHC changed its name to Children’s Mental Health Ontario (CMHO, 2016).

The maxim for the United Negro College Fund states that “the mind is terrible thing to waste.” The human brain is the least know of all the organs, in the human body because, it is the one that we cannot live without, for even for a millisecond. So unlike other organs it extremely difficult to study and therefore it is the least understood. With modern technologies and longitudinal studies becoming available much more about the brain is known as compared to previous years. However, much more still needs to be discovered especially as it relates to mental health aspect of brain

It is estimated that 10-20% of canadian youth are affected by a mental illness or disorder - the single most disabling group of disorders worldwide. A growing number of teens across the globe are faced with stress and anxiety more and more today than in previous decades to the point of developing a serious mental illness. And while it’s not very visible on the outside, mental illnesses are just as serious as physical ailments because they can make you feel isolated and isolate yourself, they can lead to other serious physical ailments, they are also directly linked to sleep disorders which can disrupt a person’s life.

Stressor-strain theory posits that presentation to stressors can adversely affect people’s wellbeing, resulting in behavioral, physical especially imperative considering a few potential stressors are ascending for college students. For instance, college students are paying more for college than any time in recent memory (Fox, Spector & Miles, 2001; Spector, 1998, p.275). Moreover, the frequency and the severity of mental health problems reported by students are expanding and advancements in technology are changing the landscape of the typical college classroom, making the study of college students ' stressors a timely and imperative issue (Kitzrow, 2009). The motivation behind this paper is to review the findings of qualitative research examining college student stressors to understand the major categories of stressors confronting college students nowadays. While the stressors that affect students ' educational life are relationships with its sub-themes and the academics.

This report comprises the outcomes of a survey into attitudes to mental illness conducted on October 2015. Based on a survey conducted in the community, 16 individuals were surveyed upon who has had an education (basic, intermediate and advance) and knew or vaguely knew someone with a mental illness. Though the primary sources of information were students, the survey also engaged directly with older associates 25 years and older who completed the survey.

The approach was not helpful since it is focusing on the biological factor and using medication only as a result. A patient would be socially isolated in this case since the social factor is not considered. According to Mental Health Social Work Practice in Canada, the DSM focused on pathology and dysfunction and ignored the larger Social context. Some of the flaws from Nash’s experience were that no alternatives were considered to his treatment, not considering social factors, environmental and other cultural causes of the disease. The DSM flaw was that, in Nash’s case, he was prescribed only medication rather than focusing more on a psycho-social aspect.

Despite the fact that it affects people of all ages, the trends seem to show a substantial increase in young suffers. The Mental Health Foundation (2001) claims that more young people have mental health problems nowadays, compared to thirty years ago. In terms of student cases of mental