How many people are affected by mental illness?
Mental illness is increasingly recognized as a serious and growing problem. It is estimated that 1 in 5 Canadians, close to six million, will develop a mental illness at some time in their lives. Many more individuals such as family, friends and colleagues are also affected. We can say for sure that at least one percent of a population is likely to have a serious and persistent mental illness at any given time. This is equal to about 300,000 Canadians at any given time. The rates of mental illness vary from one illness to another.
Mental health problems cause major changes in a person’s thinking, emotional state and behaviour, and disrupt the person’s ability to work and carry on their usual personal relationships. Mental health problems affect more people than imagined. One in three Canadians will experience a mental health problem at some point in their life. One in five Canadians will experience a mental health problem over the course of a year. The World Health Organization (WHO) has stated that 6 out of the 10 leading causes of ‘years lived with disability’, in developed regions, are mental health diagnoses.
