This isn’t the first or last time you’ll hear the phrase “knowledge is power,” but it rings especially true today.
On World Mental Health Day, take the time to educate yourself and others on a reality that faces one in five Canadians.
With a statistic like that, it’s safe to say that even if you’re not personally affected by serious mental illness, someone you know will be at some point.
And that’s tough stuff, but by becoming a champion of the cause and keeping your own mental health in check, you can make life a bit easier for someone (and everyone) you care about.
The Facts in Canada according to CMHA:
– 20 per cent of all Canadian adults will experience a mental illness at some point in their lives
– Serious depression afflicts 8 per cent of the adult population
– 1 per cent of the population is affected by bipolar disorder or “manic depression”
– 1 in 100 people aged 16 through 30 suffers from schizophrenia
– 49 percent of people who feel they have experienced depression or anxiety have let it go untreated by a medical professional
– 24 per cent of all deaths between the ages of 15 and 24 are suicides; 16 per cent between 25 and 44
– Mental illness costs the Canadian economy approximately $51 billion when accounting for health care costs and lost productivity
– By 2020, the World Health Organization predicts depression to be the single largest burden on health globally
What you can do:
– Be informed. Today of all days, there are resources everywhere online to help you understand the realities. Here’s a start.
– Stay healthy. Take care of your day-to-day stress by being active, sleeping regularly, consuming more good than bad, and talking about your issues.
– Be generous. Research and treatment are expensive, so contribute often.
– Be open. Though they might not always be open with you, let the people you care about know that you’re there to listen and not to judge.
– Ask for help. Talk to your doctor and take advantage of the resources that are out there, just like you would with any other health problem.
#NOTABLE
Cover image from: istockphoto.com/ongap
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