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).

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3. Panic disorder
Realizing you've left the stove on when you're at work can cause you to panic momentarily, but people with a panic disorder experience reoccurring panic attacks that are followed by at least one month of continuous worry that they will experience more attacks. They are concerned with the implication of the attack and its consequences. Panic disorder is an anxiety disorder and a report on mental illness in Canada by the Public Health Agency of Canada reveals that 12 per cent of Canadians are affected by anxiety disorders such as panic disorder, social phobia and obsessive-compulsive disorder.

Symptoms include: Increased heart rate, shaking or trembling, nausea or abdominal upset, feelings of being smothered, fear of losing control and/or going crazy and chest pain or discomfort. Visit the website of the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health for more information on panic and other anxiety disorders.

4. Eating disorders

Eating disorders involve serious disturbances in eating behaviours -- either eating too little or overeating. A person with an eating disorder obsesses about his or her body size and shape, and eating patterns become a voluntary act of consuming either smaller or larger portions of food.

There are three types of eating disorders: anorexia nervosa (unwillingness to maintain a minimal normal body weight), bulimia nervosa (binge eating followed by acts to hinder weight gain such as inducing vomiting), binge eating disorder (overindulgent eating that is not followed by vomiting or excessive exercise, a condition often linked to obesity). Approximately three per cent of women will suffer from an eating disorder in their lifetime, according to the National Eating Disorder Information Centre. Visit their website at www.nedic.cafor more information.

5. Seasonal affective disorder
Seasonal affective disorder (SAD) is a severe depression and the Mood Disorders Society of Canada estimates that two to four per cent of Canadians experience it. Ongoing research suggests that the changing of seasons, and the variations of daylight that come with it, cause SAD. This disorder can be difficult to diagnose because the symptoms are similar to those of other types of depression or bipolar disorder.

Symptoms include: low mood, less interest in normally pleasurable activities, reduced concentration, oversleeping (often four hours more than usual), fatigue, intense cravings for carbohydrates, and weight gain.

Watch for symptoms that persist for at least two successive winters or summers with no other explanation for changes in behaviour or mood. Visit www.mooddisorderscanada.ca for more information about SAD.

You, or someone you care about, can overcome mental illness by seeking help from medical professionals. The more you learn about mental health, the more you can both give and receive much-needed support -- so don't suffer in silence. Go online and visit your family physician to take the first steps toward ensuring peace of mind.

For more information about mental illness and for an interactive quiz to help you to assess your mental health, visit www.checkupfromtheneckup.ca.

If someone you care about is suffering from depression and you're not sure how to help, read our tips on supporting someone who is depressed.

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