If you don’t know someone who has a mental illness, it’s not because you’re beating the odds, it’s because people are afraid to talk about it. Here are some statistics about mental illness in Canada, courtesy of the Canadian Mental Health Association.
Who is affected?
- Mental illness indirectly affects all Canadians at some time through a family member, friend or colleague.
- 20% of Canadians will personally experience a mental illness in their lifetime.
- Mental illness affects people of all ages, educational and income levels, and cultures.
- Approximately 8% of adults will experience major depression at some time in their lives.
- About 1% of Canadians will experience bipolar disorder (or "manic depression").
The Reality of An Aging Population
- Mental illness is a reality for at least 20 per cent of Nova Scotia’s seniors.
- This population faces tremendous stigma and associated neglect
- By 2015, for the first time in Canada, seniors will outnumber children and adolescents combined.
- With this tremendous shift, there will be a dramatic increase in late life mental disorders.
- Ranked the “oldest” province in Canada, Nova Scotia has already begun to see the impact.
How common is it?
- Schizophrenia affects 1% of the Canadian population.
- Anxiety disorders affect 5% of the household population, causing mild to severe impairment.
- Suicide is one of the leading causes of death from adolescence to middle age in both men and women.
- The mortality rate due to suicide among men is four times the rate among women.
- Suicide accounts for 24% of all deaths among 15-24 year olds and 16% among 25-44 year olds.
What causes it?
- A complex interplay of genetic, biological, personality and environmental factors causes mental illnesses.
- Almost one half (49%) of those who feel they have suffered from depression or anxiety have never gone to see a doctor about this problem.
- Stigma or discrimination attached to mental illnesses presents a serious barrier, not only to diagnosis and treatment but also to acceptance in the community.
- Mental illnesses can be treated effectively.
What is the economic cost?
- The economic cost of mental illnesses in Canada for the health care system was estimated to be at least $7.9 billion in 1998 - $4.7 billion in care, and $3.2 billion in disability and early death.
- An additional $6.3 billion was spent on uninsured mental health services and time off work for depression and distress that was not treated by the health care system.
- In 1999, 3.8% of all admissions in general hospitals (1.5 million hospital days) were due to anxiety disorders, bipolar disorders, schizophrenia, major depression, personality disorders, eating disorders and suicidal behavior.
Sources: The Report on Mental Illness in Canada, October 2002.
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