Destigmatize mental illness

Whether indirectly or firsthand, you're probably affected by mental illness. According to the Canadian Mental Health Association, one in five Canadian adults will experience a mental illness in their lifetime and less than half of those will get treatment for it.

“The more we speak about mental illness, the less it is possible to hide and deny it,” says Dr. Anthony Levitt, psychiatrist-in-chief at Sunnybrook and Woman's College Health Sciences Centre. Dr. Levitt stresses that mental illness is treatable when you seek help and stick to a treatment plan.

To empower yourself -- and others -- to seek effective treatment and support, take time to learn about disorders of the mind and challenge the stigmas attached to mental illness. Here are a few of the most common mental illnesses facing Canadians today:

1. Depression
It's normal to get a case of the blues sometimes, but depression is more than just sad feelings that can be shaken off. In time, episodes of depression may end; however, major -- or clinical -- episodes can last for years and become debilitating when left untreated. Depression affects how you feel, think, behave and interact with others.

Symptoms include: Feeling worthless and/or hopeless, disrupted sleep patterns, eating more or less than usual, diminished interest and pleasure in activities, poor concentration and indecisiveness, feelings of unreasonable guilt and loss of energy.

There isn't one root cause of depression, but psychological and socioeconomic factors as well as biochemical imbalances in the brain can make some people more prone to the illness. According to the Canadian Mental Health Association, 36 per cent of Canadians report having suffered from depression.

2. Bipolar disorder
According to the Mood Disorders Society of Canada, one per cent of Canadians will experience bipolar disorder (also known as manic depression) in their lifetime. Just like depression, bipolar disorder can range from mild to severe; but unlike depression, bipolar is marked by persistent, dramatic mood swings -- from emotional highs (mania) to extreme lows (depression). Bipolar treatments include both medication and psychotherapy: medication helps to stabilize moods while therapy helps to identify triggers and cultivate strategies for managing stress.

Symptoms include: Extreme irritability, rapid speech and thoughts, potentially reckless and impulsive behaviour, and feelings of euphoria and symptoms related to depression (as mentioned above).

Click to continue...

Page 1 of 2