Canadian Mental Health

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In today’s society cardiovascular disease and cancer tops the charts for the responsibility of fifty percent of deaths in Canada (Heart & Stroke, 2013). However what accounts for the two thirds of every visit to the general practitioners office? It would be thought that concerns surrounding heart disease or cancer, however it is the distress regarding mental health that sparks the worry of many in today’s day and age. With the continuing rise in numbers surrounding mental health conditions and prevalence, the big question is where are these numbers coming from? The answer regarding cancer and cardiovascular disease are clear, poor diet, exercise and sleep, but what is the cause for the dramatic increase in mental health. Is it the fact that …show more content…

Mental illness has always been treated on its own, with no communication or integration of treatment with the system set in place that focus on addictions (CAMH, 2012). What does this mean for the Canadian health care system, simply that there is a major waste in the limited amount of money that each of these entities receive. Addiction services receive less and one percent of the total health care budget in Canada and mental illness isn’t far behind with one point three percent (MHCC, 2012). Of that fifty billion in 2011 alone was wasted on the simple fact that there is relationship in treatment when it comes to concurring illness. Two of every three visits to a general practitioner are regarding mental illness, a window for care that is only going to close (MHCC, 2012). Canadian health care in general works on a gatekeeper system, where a general practitioner is the first to be seen to assess the primary care of the patient and determine further care that needs to be provided. This poses an issue, as general practitioners have no solid place to send these individuals in …show more content…

The mental health commissions of Canada and center or addiction and mental health have working vigorously on proposals to tackle the issues surrounding mental health. Community visions for greater care and mental health for Canada by bringing all the provinces and territories together to form a one-window type of health care system. So the guessing game and the inadequate amount of care is not given to these people in need. With the hopes to spread a uniform system across all the

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