ISSUE #75 cont'd -- Mental Illness Statistics

Photo: Caer Weber

From the Vancouver Metro News:

• Every day, 500,000 Canadians are absent from work due to psychiatric problems.
• Mental health [sic] is the number one cause of disability in Canada, accounting for nearly 30 per cent of disability claims and 70 per cent of the total costs.

Original source: Insurance Journal 2003 as cited by the Government of Canada in The Human Face of Mental Health and Mental Illness in Canada, 2006. pg. 41

• 70 per cent of mental health problems and illnesses have their onset during childhood or adolescence.
• Young people age 15-24 are more likely to report mental illness and/or substance use disorders than other age groups.

Original sources: Government of Canada, The Human Face of Mental Health and Mental Illness in Canada, 2006, and Statistics Canada: Canadian Community Health Survey: Mental Health and Well-being, 2003.