Every year, the Canadian Mental Health Week will be conducted to raise awareness about the issue . This year the week was from May 6-12 2024. Here are some statistics from CAMH about Mental health in Canada.
- In any given year, 1 in 5 Canadians experiences a mental illness.
- By the time Canadians reach 40 years of age, 1 in 2 have – or have had – a mental illness.
- Young people aged 15 to 24, People with a long-term physical health condition, Canadians with low income, people with substance use disorders, homeless people
- Mental illness and substance use disorders are leading causes of disability in Canada.
- People with mental illness and substance use disorders are more likely to die prematurely than the general population. Mental illness can cut 10 to 20 years from a person’s life expectancy.
- About 4,000 Canadians per year die by suicide – an average of almost 11 suicides a day. It affects people of all ages and backgrounds.
- Indigenous people, especially youth, die by suicide at rates much higher than non-Indigenous people. –
- In a 2019 survey of working Canadians,75% of respondents said they would be reluctant – or would refuse – to disclose a mental illness to an employer or co-worker because they believe that there is stigma around mental illness, they do not want to be treated differently or judged, and are afraid of negative consequences, such as losing one’s job.
- The annual economic cost of mental illness in Canada is estimated at over $50 billion per year. This includes health care costs, lost productivity, and reductions in health-related quality of life. Source CAMH
