For Canadians living with mental health problems and illness, caregivers — whether relatives or people drawn from broader circles of support — are critical to recovery. Despite their crucial role, caregivers’ contributions, and the effects of caregiving on their own wellbeing, have long been underestimated and marginalized.
Establishing the foundation for healthy emotional and social development, as well as prevention and early intervention, are all vital to ensuring the mental wellbeing of every person in Canada as they progress from childhood to adulthood.
Canada is often defined by its diversity. Home to millions of people from different backgrounds and cultures, more than 200 languages are spoken across the country, with 20 per cent of Canadians having a language other than English or French as their mother tongue. However, providing mental health services and supports to such a diverse population can be challenging.
There is growing need for mental health services and resources across Canada, but the economic cost to meet such need is substantial. e-mental health could help to fill this gap in a cost-effective way, if we can first learn how best to support its further development and implementation, and how to better position e-mental health technologies and services within the mental healthcare system.
As we grow to better understand the co-occurring nature of mental health problems and substance use, there is a call to work more closely on providing integrated care. This work is new to the MHCC, and we are building networks and collaborating with partners working across the field. We are currently focusing on the ongoing opioid crisis, which is taking a devastating toll on individuals, families, front-line workers and communities across the country.
The impact of the law on the lives of people with mental health problems and mental illness is complex. It can affect human rights, employment opportunities, experiences within the justice system, housing, and even access to healthcare services. Such effects can be additional barriers to a person’s wellbeing or opportunity for recovery.
In order to paint a more complete picture of the mental health landscape in Canada, the MHCC presents 55 indicators reflecting mental health for children and youth, adults, and seniors. The indicators look at mental health in different settings and report on aspects of services and supports used by people living with mental health problems and illnesses.
Changing Directions, Changing Lives, released in May 2012, is the first mental health strategy for Canada. It aims to help improve the mental health and well-being of all people living in Canada, and to create a mental health system that can truly meet the needs of people living with mental health problems and illnesses and their families.
An important contributor to recovery, peer support is a supportive relationship between people who have a lived experience in common. The peer support worker provides emotional and social support to others who share a common experience. But despite evidence of the benefits, for both individuals and families, peer support programs have yet to receive the focus, funding, and attention needed.
The concept of "recovery" in mental health refers to living a satisfying, hopeful, and contributing life, even when mental health problems and mental illnesses cause ongoing limitations. Implementing recovery-oriented practices that will enhance health outcomes and quality of life for people with lived experience and their families is at the heart of the Mental Health Strategy for Canada.
Mental health problems or mental illness should not be considered an inevitable consequence of aging, and age should not limit access to quality mental health services. Yet this is often the case in Canada. Community-based services and primary care providers must better help seniors successfully manage and treat the different mental health problems they may face.
Many people with mental health problems and mental illness often experience stigma — negative attitudes and the negative behaviours they produce. Stigma spreads fear and misinformation, labels individuals, and perpetuates stereotypes. More than 60 per cent of people with mental health problems and mental illness won't seek the help they need; stigma is one of the main reasons.
Suicide is a serious public health problem that can have lasting, harmful effects on individuals, families, and communities.
Creating a mental health system that can truly meet the needs of people living with mental health problems and illnesses and their families.