The Enduring Stigma of Mental Illness
Aug 20, 2008
A recent Canadian Medical Association (CMA) study has found that Canadians have a long way to go to shed the stigma associated with mental illness.
Ipsos Reid polled over 2000 Canadians for the CMA and found that almost half of Canadians think that people use the term ‘mental illness’ as an excuse for bad behaviour. One out of four Canadians are fearful of being around those who suffer from mental illness. A majority would not have a family doctor, hire a lawyer or marry someone with a mental illness. Only about half of respondents indicated that they would tell friends or coworkers that a family member suffers from mental illness, compared to 72 percent for cancer or 68 percent for diabetes.
On a more positive note, about 60 percent of Canadians agree the diagnosis and treatment of mental illness is underfunded, and 72 percent say it should get as much financing as diseases such as cancer and diabetes.
The CMA says that mental health issues cost the Canadian economy $51 billion per year, which is nearly one third of all the health care spending in Canada. It’s easy to see why. A Statistics Canada study in 2001 showed that, over the previous 12 months, more than seven percent had suffered at least one major depressive episode. And 15 percent of respondents indicated they had at some time been diagnosed with clinical depression.
So what is to be done? The National Union of Public and General Employees (NUPGE) has submitted a brief to the Mental Health Commission of Canada entitled ‘No Health Without Mental Health’. They call for a national mental health care strategy and increased funding for community-based social services.
The creation of the Mental Health Commission is certainly a step in the right direction. It is apparent from the results of this and other surveys that there remains widespread ignorance and misinformation about mental illness. The prevalence of mental illness demands that our federal government invest significantly more of their health budgets to treatment and community care for mental illness.
It goes without saying that mental illness deserves greater parity with physical illness. And a majority of Canadians obviously agree.
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