Mental Illness And The Canadian Mental Health Association

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,†¦show more content†¦The relationship between mental illness and suicide continues to grow every year, with these numbers growing, this also means that that mental illness can increase the risk of suicidal behavior. Hi I love Depression is the most common mental illness in our society. According to The World Health Organization, it is estimated that 121 million people in the world are currently battling mental illness, 5.8 percent of men and 9.5 percent women will experience a depressive episode every year (Mental and Neurological Disorders, 2001). These numbers continue to grow each year. Right now, heart disease is the most common cause of disability, it is predicted that depression will become the second most common cause of disability in the year 2020 (Peveler, 2002, vol.325, pp. 149-152). Women are twice as likely to seek help for their mental illness, but it is believed that men suffer depression to a much larger extent than statistics have shown. Since they are less likely to reach out for help, it is much harder for the doctor to recognize any symptoms (Sane, 2000). It is important to remember that depression includes a vast range of experiences and and illness forms from mild to severe, transient to permanent, and the chance of suicide differs considerably with the kind of depression. After analyzing patients diagnosed with depression, a study in Finland found