Indicators create clearer picture of mental health in Canada
Ottawa, Ontario – The Mental Health Commission of Canada (MHCC) today released the full report of Informing the Future: Mental Health Indicators for Canada. This report completes the release of the first-ever national-level set of indicators that identifies and reports on the mental health of Canadians.
Building on the preliminary report, which contained 13 indicators that was released on January 22nd, 2015, this document offers a detailed look at 42 additional indicators.
“The Government of Canada is pleased that, through our continued investment in the Mental Health Commission of Canada, innovative work such as Informing the Future is helping to advance the promotion of mental health and the prevention of mental illness in Canada,” said the Honourable Rona Ambrose, Minister of Health; adding, “We commend the MHCC and their research partners on this ground breaking project.”
Drawing from diverse data sources and covering a wide range of focus areas, Informing the Future: Mental Health Indicators for Canada is the result of a collaborative effort to gather national data and make it widely accessible to all Canadians and better support mental health and recovery. The MHCC worked in partnership with Simon Fraser University’s Centre for Applied Research in Mental Health and Addiction, the Canadian Institute for Health Information and the Public Health Agency of Canada, this pioneering project reveals the current landscape of the mental health of Canadians.
“The Mental Health Strategy for Canada identified the need to improve mental health data collection, research, and knowledge exchange across Canada and with this project we are moving this important goal forward,” says Louise Bradley, MHCC President and CEO.
Research, and consultation with stakeholders, focused on key indicators with considerable effort focused on the introduction of several non-traditional indicators in order to broaden the scope of measurement and monitoring and provide a more complete picture of mental health and illness.
Today’s report provides detail on indicators that have been organized into the following 13 key focus areas as identified in Changing Direction, Changing Lives: The Mental Health Strategy for Canada:
• Access and Treatment
• Adults
• Caregiving
• Children and Youth
• Diversity
• Economic Prosperity
• First Nations, Inuit, Metis
• Housing and Homelessness
• Population Well-being
• Recovery
• Seniors
• Stigma and Discrimination
• Suicide
Informing the Future: Mental Health Indicators for Canada, the first report of its kind, identifies several important areas where previously inadequate data set have been available. The coordinated efforts of the research team serve to improve the availability of information on the mental health of Canadians. Allowing the MHCC, and our partners, to move forward with the best available tools to effectively shape policy and programs to transform the mental health system of Canada.
The complete report can be found online here.
ABOUT THE MENTAL HEALTH COMMISSION OF CANADA
Guided by Changing Directions, Changing Lives: The Mental Health Strategy for Canada, the Mental Health Commission of Canada (MHCC) is a catalyst for improving the mental health system and changing the attitudes and behaviours of Canadians around mental health – at home, work, and school, as well as with the media and healthcare providers – from coast to coast to coast. Through its unique mandate from Health Canada, the Commission is Canada’s coordinating agent, bringing together the best and most influential minds in the mental health community. The MHCC is collaborating with hundreds of partners towards a mental health system that is inclusive, adaptable, and supports Canadians living with mental health problems and mental illnesses in their recovery journey. Together we accelerate change needed to transform Canada’s mental health system and the wellbeing of all.
www.mentalhealthcommission.ca | strategy.mentalhealthcommission.ca
Media Contact:
Patti Robson, Director of Marketing and Communications
Mental Health Commission of Canada
Office: 613.683.3742
Mobile: 613.282.1573
probson@mentalhealthcommission.ca
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