One in five Canadians meets the criteria for having a mental illness in their lifetime, 24.1 percent of women and 17.0 percent of men —this 20 percent affects every one of us, whether at work, at home or personally.

(Government of Canada. The Human Face of Mental Health and Mental Illness in Canada 2006.)

What is Mental Health & Mental Illness?

Mental health is a state of well-being in which the individual realizes his or her own abilities, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully and is able to make a contribution to his or her community.[1]

Mental illness is a recognized, medically diagnosable illness that results in the significant impairment of an individual’s cognitive, affective or relational abilities. Mental disorders result from biological, developmental and/or psychosocial factors and can be managed using approaches comparable to those applied to physical disease (i.e., prevention, diagnosis, treatment and rehabilitation).[2]

[1] World Health Organization [WHO]. “Strengthening mental health promotion (Fact Sheet No. 220.),” www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs220/en (accessed January 6, 2010).