Mental health concerns all of us, every man, woman, boy and girl, and we all need to consider its importance, including our governments at the provincial and federal levels. It is thus most appropriate that Mental Health Week is coming up on May 7-13 across Canada, and is being marked in Weyburn by the Canadian Mental Health Association.
There has been a lot of information and education of the public about mental health issues in recent years, but it still carries a stigma where people are reluctant to talk about it, even this affects every person, just like a person’s physical health, and the effects can be felt in the lives of many people around us when issues come up.
According to the CMHA, half of the population will have or have had a mental illness by the age of 40, and of most concern, about 49 per cent of those who have felt depression or anxiety have never gone to see a doctor about this problem.
Anxiety disorders affect five per cent of the population, and of high concern, suicide is one of the leading causes of death in both men and women from adolescence to middle age, accounting for a quarter of all deaths among 15-24 year olds, and 16 per cent of those aged 25-44 years. The stigma of mental illness is a part of this picture, and sometimes makes it difficult for people to talk openly about it, or even with trusted friends or loved ones. There has been a campaign in recent year urging people to talk about mental health issues, and this needs to continue so people will gradually come to accept, if they have an issue with their mental health, they need to talk to someone about it.
The part that government and government agencies can play is to adequately and properly fund mental health programs and resources, so that when people need help, either from a professional or from a friend, they will be able to access it and find the help they need. Mental health has been notoriously underfunded for years, simply because it hasn’t been a high priority for governments or for people in general — and it needs to be. It has to be.
The difficulty this presents is, there is an economic cost to society, not to mention an intangible, personal cost to families and friends when people have issues of mental health. As the CMHA holds various events to mark Mental Health Week, residents need to check them out and support them, whether it’s the Mayor’s Luncheon, the youth theatre presentations, the book sale or the tattoo event, and make sure mental health is a personal priority.
