Lesson 3: Treatment

Alberta Statistics

The following information, from the Canadian Mental Health Association, highlights statistics regarding mental illness from Canada as a whole, as well as specific statistics regarding the province of Alberta.

One in five Canadians will suffer a mental illness at some time in his or her life. If you include addictions to alcohol, drugs and gambling, the number is greater than one in three. You may never develop a mental illness but with those odds, the chances are you will be close to someone who does.

The most common group of mental disorders are anxiety-related and include panic attacks, post traumatic stress, and a whole range of phobias (intense fears). We all experience anxiety in some form, but these “survival” feelings that stimulate our “fight-or-flight” mechanism are perfectly normal. About 12% of the Alberta population will experience anxiety disorders at some time, anxiety that is so intense it immobilizes and affects the ability to enjoy life and deal with day to day experiences and problems.

The second most common category of mental disorders is described as mood disorders and affects about 9% of the Alberta population. Everybody, of course, has “ups and downs” and grieving a loss, for example, is a very natural process. But when these ups and downs (depression and mania) are prolonged over several weeks and are so intense that they take control of our lives, help should be sought.

One of the less prevalent but most misunderstood disorders is schizophrenia, which affects about 1% of the population. Many people think a person with schizophrenia has a “split” or multiple personality. In reality, the person with schizophrenia has a single personality but thoughts, perceptions, and feelings are all mixed up. The person may hear voices or have false beliefs, and in this complex disorganized thinking, it is difficult to know what is real and what is not.

There are dozens of different diagnostic categories in each of the above groupings and many more categories of mental disorder. But almost all of them can be treated, and the recovery rate is higher when treatment is appropriate and given early.

Perhaps as important as treatment is the support of family and friends. Mental disorders still carry a certain stigma or “stain on one’s reputation” caused by misunderstandings. An Ontario survey found that more than 48% of people with a history of mental illness believed that stigma affected their relationships, employment, and housing. This, in turn, affected self-esteem and confidence, causing caution, fear, anger, and depression. The most common public stereotypes are that people with mental illness are untrustworthy, dangerous, weird, and unpredictable.

These stereotypes are in fact myths. People with mental illnesses are no less trustworthy than the general population and only a certain few mental disorders may produce violent episodes and only under certain conditions. In reality, people with mental illnesses are more likely to hurt themselves, or because of their vulnerability, are victims of violence by others. As to being “weird and unpredictable”, a person’s behaviour may be unusual during some episode, but the symptoms are treatable.

In most cases, mental disorders can be viewed as “invisible disorders” seen only from the inside. As for health promotion, we have only begun to understand the nature of mental disorder and how it may be prevented. Some of the answers may be in biology and genetic research. Others will be in nutrition and pharmacology. Income and social status are also important considerations as are education, social support networks, employment and working conditions, physical environments, safety, personal health practices, and coping skills. Still other answers will lie in early childhood nurturing and good parenting.