Our attitudes to mental health issues must change

The next time you’re in a room with four other people, I want you to think about something. Of the five of you in that room, at least one person will experience a mental health issue or addiction in their lifetime. 

According to statistics published by the Canadian Mental Health Association, mental health afflictions occur in the lives of 20 per cent of Canadians — well over 6.5 million people — a figure which does not even take into account the friends, relatives, coworkers and spouses who are impacted by the psychological well-being of these people.

Not something you want to think about? That’s exactly the problem.

May 1 through May 7 is Mental Health Week in Canada, and it is a good time to think, talk and act on the promotion of positive mental health in this country. The stigma surrounding mental health frequently discourages individuals to seek support when they need it. Canadians tend to have no hesitation mentioning a visit to their dentist, chiropractor or physiotherapist — but could you picture vocally excusing yourself from work or school because of a counselling appointment without fear of being judged? 

When an inexplicable and unnecessary shame surrounds mental health issues and their corresponding recovery tools, it prevents an open discussion of mental health, and causes many who would benefit from counselling to see it as a social taboo rather than a beneficial tool for recovery. Even the language surrounding mental health discourages dialogue, with the leading phrase “mental illness” implicitly suggesting that those who experience mental health issues are sick or unhealthy, despite the deceptive commonality of their symptoms. This is not to suggest that overcoming stigma is a simple process, but until the perception of mental health is moved out of the realm of private shame and into the sphere of public health, more and more Canadians will resort to isolating or unsafe behaviours as coping mechanisms.

However, even when individuals can bravely and confidently transcend the stigma surrounding mental health issues, seeking help to overcome our afflictions is often prohibitively difficult. In a recent interview, Jay Harrison, who is dually qualified to comment on the subject as board of directors president at the Self-Help Alliance of Waterloo Wellington and as well as someone with experience of the mental health system, stated that “the worst part about navigating the mental health system is that it has to be navigated.” 

This is not a fault of the multitude of organizations throughout the country that are providing crisis response and counseling services, but rather a larger systemic problem surrounding the lack of focus and funding given to service providers in the mental health field by the three tiers of government. In addition, it is important to consider two common qualities of those experiencing mental health problems and addictions. First, it is often hard for those struggling with mental health issues to take an active role in seeking professional attention, since mental health afflictions are difficult to self-identify. And second, as Harrison observes, mental health issues disproportionately affect individuals who are already marginalized in their community due to poverty, race, disability and other social determinants of health. 

Community service providers in the mental health sector reach out to the community in a way that hospitals, clinics and medical practitioners do not. However, doing so requires significant funding from government sources, and most importantly, a positive and public discussion among Canadians of the realities of mental health in Canada.(TheRecord.com)