Mental Health Issues In Canada

Fazel, S., Khosla, V., Doll, H., Geddes, J. (2008). The prevalence of mental disorders among the

What is left is that we have many citizens who are mentally ill and are not receiving treatment. However the patients who are able to receive treatment are only able to have some treatment covered. Health insurers are responsible for covering the immensely large cost of substantial treatment, a mixture of medication and therapy; since therapy is highly priced, less reliable, and time consuming; patients typically do not receive treatment for therapy. Health insurers would much rather cover medication because it is cheaper, it heals patients faster, and it is more reliable than therapy. However, medication is not made to heal, but to only coax symptoms of a mental illness (Sandberg).

This increasing prevalence of mental health issues has heightened the need for Australian organisations to refocus their duty of care to their employees.

In the early 1960’s, Canada began its movement towards deinstitutionalization, based on the belief that community based care would better serve populations affected with mental illness (Davis, 2014). As a result, legislation sanctioning involuntary treatment within community settings became increasingly used (Davis, 2014). Currently under civil law, there are three methods of initiating mandatory outpatient treatment in Canada (Davis, 2014). In British Columbia, mandatory outpatient treatment occurs when an individual is placed on a leave provision following involuntary admission in hospital (Davis, 2014). Once this is completed, the individual is considered to be on extended leave, and their care is transferred to a community mental health

Lack of access to mental health care and treatment is one of the top ten reasons that many mental health conditions go untreated. Many private and group health insurance plans only include minimal mental health care coverage or do not incorporate mental health care coverage at all. Over half of adult citizens of the United States of America, who possess a mental illness, do not obtain mental health care treatment. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, one out of every five adults in America have endured their own mental health difficulty, and one out of every twenty-five American adults suffer from a severe mental illness, such as major depression, schizophrenia, or bipolar disorder. (Top 5 Barriers to Mental Healthcare Access, Social Solutions.com, 2017)

Extent of the problem (trends) According to PDHPE.net “2-3% of Australians have severe mental health problems or illnesses. 4-6% have moderate and 19-20% have mild mental health problems and illnesses. While these numbers are not large, 45% of Australians between 15 and 85 reported suffering from a mental health problem or illness in their lifetime, with 1 in 5 experiencing a mental health problem in the last 12 months. Prevalence of mental health problems and

Mental Illness affects all Canadians at some point in their life, whether directly or indirectly, through a family member, colleague or friend. It does not merely affect people of a certain age; it affects people of all ages. One in five Canadians experience mental illness (The Canadian Mental Health Association, n.d.). Anything can trigger mental illness, and it is important to remember that if a person is battling this disease, in it is not a sign of weakness. Unfortunately, there is a stigma and, as a result people are scared to admit that they have an illness. The principal disorders - depression, bipolar disorder, and schizophrenia; in addition, the relationships between suicide and postpartum depression, eating disorders,

According to the Statistics Canada, in any given year, 1 in 5 Canadians experiences a mental health or addiction problem, in any given week, at least 500,000 employed Canadians are unable to work due to mental health problems,

As a result of this, Canadians have been becoming more accepting and encouraging of others to take care of their mental health in the same way that they would take care of their physical health. They are also more likely to treat their own mental well-being as important and foster it to increase their overall well-being. While it can be very challenging and vulnerable for someone to admit that they need help, Canadians are beginning to see the importance of asking for assistance. If psychology did not exist in Canada, these individuals would likely experience shame, guilt, depression and other negative emotions when asking for help. In addition, the suicide rate in Canada would likely be significantly higher as individuals would not receive the proper interventions that they

Behavioral health disorders cripple America’s workforce as the leading cause of disability. Nearly 9 million have a mental illness that greatly affects their day-to-day living, and 10.8 million full-time adult workers have an addiction.

But according to recent studies, too few Americans actually know of this practice (“Dealing With Mental Health”). The lack of openness about mental illness and health laws perpetuates stigma in the workforce and lets the workers’ health and productivity decline. This appeal to workers rely on a fair degree of empathy, so let’s look at the issue from a business perspective to equate why stigma preventing treatment causes losses in the office. Mental illness costs United States businesses an over $105 billion loss in productivity annually. In addition, the total loss of work days amount to 35 million every year as a result of absence due to improperly treated mental illness and substance abuse. Yet out of the 61 million adults who experience this loss due to mental illness, only 60% get help for their problem. Behavioral mental illness amounts for the reason 40% of the time and of that 40%, only 70% do not receive proper treatment to cope with such illness (“Dealing With Mental Health”). And the amount of people put off of work due to these issues only rises in the social office space with their superiors referring them to screenings and behavioral reeducation areas. Naturally, companies admit that the amount of cases remains high – with depression and substance abuse disorders at most prevalent in these cases. With these startling statistics, it comes to no surprise that the Journal of the American Medical Association believes that mental illnesses

Unemployment and finances as barrier. In urban parts of Canada, many community mental health teams are responsible for assisting their clients find employment, however such services are very limited in rural Canada. It is been made clear that many individuals living with mental illness in rural areas are unemployed (Rebeiro Gruhl, 2012). According to Statistics Canada (2006), over 77 percent of those living with mental illness are without jobs. This is a very significant finding, as we know that employment is considered one of the social determinants of health (Rebeiro Gruhl, 2012). Being unemployed brings about many more challenges on top of living with mental

Diseases and ill health can largely affect the growth and development of a country’s economy if most members of its population are affected. Mental health disorders and injuries are one of the nine Australian National Health Priority Areas. This paper contains findings from research articles on the two mentioned areas to determine their effects and extent on the Australian population and also analyze the control and preventive measures put in place.

Even Dr. Su-Ting Teo puts her input saying “… they’re just so much less supported. In high school you have a schedule. You need to show up. In university or college, if you don’t show up, nobody knows. No one is checking up on you. It’s a huge shift” (Teo, 2013). Although stress and anxiety impacts students from a variety of factors; education and university learning have caused a significant role in influencing this negative toll upon students.

People with mental disorders also need economic help. According to the Social Security Administration, “more than 1.3 million people who are receiving Social Security disability (SSDI) benefits have been diagnosed with a mood disorder” (Allsup) Mental illness has became the second most common diagnostic category for receivers, after musculoskeletal system disorders and connective tissue disease. SSDI gives benefits for those who have paid FICA taxes and no longer can work because of a long-term disability. (Allsup) Unfortunately, mental health issues can add layers of hard and already confusing process. As a Psych Central blogger wrote recently, “mental health problems or even the medications intended to treat them can make it almost impossible to stay on top of the notoriously cumbersome claims process”. (Allsup)