Mental illnesses are characterized by alterations in thinking, mood or behaviour associated with significant distress and impaired functioning.
Examples of specific mental illnesses include:
Mental illness arises from a complex interaction of genetic, biological, personality and environmental factors. Specific risk factors include: family history of mental illness, age, sex, substance abuse, chronic diseases, family, workplace, life event stresses. Mental illnesses affect people of all ages, education levels, income levels and cultures.
Promoting mental health - good parenting, social support, meaningful employment and social roles, adequate income, physical activity, and an internal locus of control.
Early recognition of mental illness and appropriate response can minimize the impact of the illness.
Symptoms vary for each illness, however in all cases the symptoms interfere with effective daily functioning.
Twenty percent of Canadians will personally experience a mental illness during their lifetime.
One year prevalence of specific mental illnesses:
Hospitalizations for mental illnesses
Suicide
In Canada, the planning and delivery of mental health services is an area in which the provincial and territorial governments have primary jurisdiction. The federal government (chiefly through Health Canada) collaborates with the provinces and territories in a variety of ways as they seek to develop responsive, coordinated and efficient mental health service systems.The Centre for Chronic Disease Prevention and Control contributes thorough surveillance activities.
The Centre coordinated the October 2002 publication of "A Report on Mental Illnesses in Canada" with 10 other organizations. This report is designed to raise the profile of mental illness among government and non-government organizations, and the industry, education, workplace, and academic sectors.
A workshop held in September,1999, co-sponsored by Health Canada and the Canadian Alliance on Mental Illness and Mental Health (CAMIMH), developed a comprehensive indicator framework for a Mental Illnesses and Mental Health Surveillance System.