Problems of Well-Being
MENTAL HEALTH
By: Jess Dettman

MENTAL HEALTH:
The successful performance of mental function,
resulting in productive activities, fulfilling
relationships with other people, and the ability
to adapt to change to cope with adversity.
MENTAL ILLNESS:
A term used to refer collectively to all mental
disorders.
MENTAL DISORDER:
A behavioural or psychological syndrome or
pattern that occurs in an individual and that is
associated with present distress or disability, or
with a significantly increased risk of suffering,
death, pain, disability or loss of freedom.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NiQitB
SFdDw

Mental Health is a huge part in today’s
society. There are many individuals who
are suffering from mental disorders
and/or mental illnesses. Children,
Adolescents, Adults and the Elderly all
experience some mental health issues at
some point in their life. Some mental
health issues are more of a concern than
others. There are many different mental
health illness and disorders in today’s
society. Some of these disorders include;
Anxiety, Depression, Stress, Bipolar and
many more.

EXAMPLES OF MENTAL HEALTH
ILLNESSES/DISORDERS:
• Major Depression (MD)
• Schizophrenia
• Bipolar Disorder (BD)
• Eating Disorders
• Anxiety Disorders
• Eating Disorders
• Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
• Addictions
• Insomnia
• Panic Disorder

Facts About Mental Health
Who it affects..
• 20% of Canadians will personally experience a mental illness in
their lifetime.
• Approximately 8% of adults will experience major depression
at some time in their lives.
• Mental health indirectly affects all individuals through family,
friends or colleagues.
How Common is it?
• Schizophrenia affects 1% of the Canadian population.
• Suicide is one of the leading causes of death in both men and
women from adolescence to middle age.
• Suicide accounts for 24% of all deaths among 15-24 year olds
and 16% among 25-44 year olds.
(Canadian Mental Health Association, 2014)

Facts About Mental Health
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.
• Mental illnesses can be treated effectively.
How does it impact youth?
• 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.
• Today, approximately 5% of male youth and 12% of female
youth, age 12 to 19, have experienced a major depressive
episode.
• Suicide is among the leading causes of death in 15-24 year old
Canadians, second only to accidents; 4,000 people die
prematurely each year by suicide.
(Canadian Mental Health Association, 2014)

The Stigma
• Just 50% of Canadians would tell friends or co-workers that
they have a family member with a mental illness, compared to
72% who would discuss a diagnosis of cancer and 68% who
would talk about a family member having diabetes.
• 42% of Canadians are unsure whether they would socialize
with a friend who has a mental illness.
• A majority of Canadians (55%) say they would be unlikely to
enter a spousal relationship with someone who has a mental
illness.
• 46% of Canadians think people use the term mental illness as
an excuse for bad behaviour, and 27% say they would be
fearful of being around someone who suffers from serious
mental illness.
(Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, 2014)

Their Stories
“Katherine’s Story - Recovering from
Depression”
Having achieved two bachelor’s degrees and a master’s degree
public health, Katherine thought she “had the world by the tail.”
Although she had experienced dark feelings and insecurities before,
she never would have believed they would lead to full-blown
depression. But by the time Katherine was 28, her depression had
impacted her life in a major way. She had been hospitalized
numerous times, lost her apartment, job and benefits, ultimately
forcing her to file for bankruptcy and move in with her parents.
I truly believed that any hope of having any semblance of a normal
adult life was over and I would forever remain an adult-child
dreaming of the life that could have been.
Story Continued on next slide…

Their Stories
But at a hospital dialectical behaviour therapy (DBT) day-program
Katherine attended, life began to turn around. Through the
program’s individual and group therapy (most helpful for people
who have difficultly managing their emotions), Katherine learned
new skills to manage and cope with her emotions and tolerate
emotional distress. Eight years after her life fell apart, Katherine
re-entered the job market and her life “took giant leap forward.”
In Katherine’s words,
Recovery is possible for most everyone because it is defined by the
person doing it. There is no right or wrong way to recover - rather
it is about living a life that has ups and downs, successes and
failures, dreams and hopes - one that is fulfilling. It is about
building or rebuilding a life in spite of being diagnosed with a
mental illness. I never thought that I would be able to take the
most disenfranchising event in my life, being diagnosed as
seriously mental ill, and turn it into one of the most empowering.”
(Tracy, N.D)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=03
3-6MY8OpM

The Importance of Mental Health
• When we are in good mental health we are able
to live our lives to the fullest.
• MENTAL HEALTH helps strengthen and support
our ability to:
- have strong and healthy relationships
- make good life choices
- maintain physical health and well-being
- handle the natural ups and downs that
everyone has in life
- discover and grow to our full potential

Probable Solutions
• There are many different mental health initiatives
and help lines that are available to the public.
• Some of these include:
• Mental Health Help Line -
http://www.mentalhealthhelpline.ca/
• Kids Help Phone -
http://www.kidshelpphone.ca/teens/home/splash
.aspx
• Wes For Youth Online -
https://www.google.ca/#q=wes+for+youth+online
• Bell Let’s Talk - http://letstalk.bell.ca/en/our-
initiatives/

Mental Health & Structural-
Functionalist Perspective
“Structural-Functionalist Perspective views society as a system
of interconnected parts that work in harmony to maintain a
state of balance and social equilibrium for the whole; focuses
on how each part of society influences and is influenced by
other parts.”(Mooney, Holmes, Knox & Schacht, 2013).
• Mental health and the structural-functionalist perspective
connect in many different ways. Structural-Functionalists
use both the terms “functional” and “dysfunctional”. Crime
is related to mental health and this is a part of the
structural-functionalist perspective. It also connects
because when rapid social change occurs it disrupts the
norms in society, which is also how mental health works.
When social change occurs it can affect ones mental health.

References
• Mental Health: Mental Illness in Children. (n.d.). WebMD. Retrieved April 2, 2014,
from http://www.webmd.com/mental-health/mental-illness-children
• Mental Disorders & Conditions - DSM. (n.d.). Psych Central.com. Retrieved April 2,
2014, from http://psychcentral.com/disorders/
• Mental Illness Symptoms, Causes, Treatment - Can mental illness be prevented? -
MedicineNet. (n.d.). MedicineNet. Retrieved April 2, 2014, from
http://www.medicinenet.com/mental_illness/page2.htm
• Shepell·fgi. (n.d.). Understanding Mental Illness. Retrieved April 2, 2014, from
http://www.shepellfgi.com/understandingmentalillness/
• The Facts. (n.d.). Mental Health Strategy. Retrieved April 1, 2014, from
http://strategy.mentalhealthcommission.ca/the-facts/
• Useful Psychology Information: Importance of Mental Health. (n.d.). Importance
of Mental Health. Retrieved April 2, 2014, from
http://www.ripsych.org/importance-of-mental-health
• Fast Facts about Mental Illness. (n.d). Canadian Mental Health Association.
Retrieved April 2, 2014, from http://www.cmha.ca/media/fast-facts-about-
mental-illness/#.UzN5nYWv9lw
• For Reporters. (n.d). CAMH: Mental Illness and Addiction Statistics. Retrieved
April 2, 2014, from
http://www.camh.ca/en/hospital/about_camh/newsroom/for_reporters/pages/a
ddictionmentalhealthstatistics.aspx
• Mooney, L., Holmes, M., Knox, D., & Schacht, C. (2013). Understanding Social
Problems (Custom Edition). Toronto, ON: Nelson