mental health & illness

1. PROBLEMS OF WELL-BEING
MENTAL ILLNESS

2. MENTAL HEALTH
 The World Health Organization defines health
as “a state of physical, mental and social well-being
and not merely the absences of disease
or infirmity.”.
 Mental illness affects one in five Canadians and
has an overwhelming influence on society
(WHO, 2014).

3. Mental illness is a result of a
variety of mental health
conditions or disorders that
interrupts your mood and
behavior
 A mental illness can make you sad and can cause issues in your
daily life, such as at work or in relationships. In most cases,
symptoms can be managed with a combination of medications
and counseling

4. ILLNESS & DISEASE
10 COMMON MYTHS
1. Mental illnesses are not real illnesses
2. Mental illnesses will never affect me
3. Mental illnesses are just an excuse for poor behaviour
4. Bad parenting causes mental illness
5. People with mental illnesses are violent and dangerous

5. MYTHS
6. People don’t recover from mental illnesses
7. People who experience mental illnesses are weak and cant
handle stress
8. People who experience mental illnesses cant work
9. Kids cant have a mental illness
10. Depression is a common factor in the aging process

6. MANY FORMS OF ILLNESS
 Stress & Anxiety disorders
 Depression & Bipolar disorder
 Eating disorders
 Mood disorders
 Substance use disorder

7. WHAT IS THE
CAUSE?
 Mental health issues have a variety of contributing factors.
 It is not always easy to identify things that trigger poor mental health.
Related Factors:
 Stress, abuse, trauma, neglect, poverty, loneliness, social isolation,
discrimination

8. MENTAL ILLNESS FACTS
 70% of mental health problems have their onset during childhood or
adolescence.
 Young people aged 15 to 24 are more likely to experience mental illness
and/or substance use disorders than any other age group.
 Men have higher rates of addiction than women, while women have
higher rates of mood and anxiety disorders
 Canadians in the lowest income group are 3 to 4 times more likely than
those in the highest income group to report fair to poor mental health.
 Studies in various Canadian cities indicate that between 23% and 67% of
homeless people report having a mental illness.

9. ACCESS TO CARE
 While mental illnesses constitute more than 15% of the burden of
disease in Canada, these illnesses receive less than 6% of
health care dollars.
 Almost a third of Canadians who seek mental health care report
that their needs are unmet or partially met. The rate is even
higher for children and youth.
 60% of family physicians rank access to psychiatrists in Ontario
as fair to poor.

11. COMBATING MENTAL ILLNESS
 Companies & Establishments should incorporate programs that
bring awareness and offer education and therapeutic strategies
for employees.
 Aside from the lack of knowledge about mental health, society
has created a stigma, which contributes to denial for some, who
don’t want to be “labeled”.
 Depression is a serious condition that is more often ignored and
untreated. It has been the “silent killer” for many people, famous
or not.
 It can be embarrassing for some to admit so they choose to hide it
and suffer alone. The symptoms of the illnesses themselves can
make it hard to seek help.

12. MORE
AWARENESS
 Schools should incorporate cognitive-behavioral therapy into the
curriculum. This would teach youth how to understand their thoughts,
feelings and behavior and how it is all intertwined.
 If it is something that is out in the open, and everyone was educated on
how to recognize early signs and symptoms it could be managed at early
stages and more prevention could take place.
 A healthy life style for the mind and body can increase good mental health

13. THE CONFLICT THEORY
 The conflict sociology theory emphasizes that inequality in the
quality of health and of the healthcare access.
 Society’s inequities along social class, race and ethnicity, and
gender are reproduced through health and health care.
 People from disadvantaged social backgrounds are more likely to
become ill, and once they do become ill, inadequate health care
makes it more difficult for them to become well.

15. REFERENCES
 CAMH, (2014). Statistics on Mental Illness and Addictions.
Retrieved from: www.camh.ca
 Mooney, L., Holmes, M., Knox, D., & Schacht, C. (2013).
Understanding Social Problems. Toronto: Nelson Education Ltd.
 Weitz, R. (2013). The sociology of health, illness, and health care:
A critical approach (6th ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Wadsworth.
 World Health Organization, (2014). Mental Health in WHO
Regions. Retrieved from: www.who.int/topics/mental_health/en/