MENTAL HEALTH FACTS

MENTAL ILLNESS is the No. 1 leading cause of disability in the world and accounts for 13 per cent of the “global burden of disease” according to the World Health Organization.

THE WHO PREDICTS that by 2020 depression will become the No. 2 cause of working years lost due to disability.

MENTAL ILLNESS COSTS the Canadian economy $51 billion a year, and each day 500,000 people will miss work due to mental health problems. RATES OF EMERGENCY ROOM visits and hospitalization for mental disorders among youth increased nearly 40 per cent between 2007 and 2014.

IN HAMILTON IN 2015/2016 the Canadian Mental Health Association provided more than 10,000 local residents with some form of assistance. THE NUMBER OF HOSPITALIZATIONS for Canadians age 10 to 17 for self-harm increased 85 per cent between 2009/10 and 2013/14, and girls were five-times as likely to visit an ER for that reason.

CANADA’S YOUTH SUICIDE RATE is third highest in the developed world and is second only to automobile accidents as the leading cause of death in 15-to-24-year olds.

350 MILLION PEOPLE worldwide are affected by depression, 60 million bipolar disorder, 47 million dementia, and 21 million schizophrenia.