That's a good question! It is an issue that is globally prevalent, but that doesn't mean it's unsolvable. There are many interconnected factors, for example many mental health services may be only available via private healthcare options even in Canada where we (usually) emphasize public health care. Mental health also is literally expensive - the annual economic cost of mental illness in Canada is estimated at + $50 billion/ year, including not only health care costs, but lost productivity and quality of life declines (https://www.camh.ca/en/driving-change/the-crisis-is-real/mental-health-statistics). There are still many ways to access help if you need it, including school or university mental health providers, distress lines, and more - but we definitely need much more change to increase accessibility. Increasing mental health awareness to create these changes is our mission.

A: Supporting someone with mental health challenges can be difficult because often we don’t necessarily see or understand how much someone is struggling or what they are struggling with. A good starting point is making an effort to understand. Rather than trying to “fix” the situation and telling them what they should do, you could ask questions like:” is there something I can do to help you?” “I want to understand what you’re feeling or thinking so if you want to talk about it, I’m here for you.” You can also just offer your company, for example: “I have some time this evening if you just want to hang out and go for a walk or something. We don’t have to talk about anything if you don’t want to.” You can also encourage healthier habits like inviting friends to do a workout, or cooking them a healthy meal, or exploring habits like meditation/mindfulness together.

If you’re seeing signs and symptoms that this person is really struggling (e.g. missing school or work, changes in eating/sleeping, withdrawal from friends and activities, extreme mood changes of highs and lows, inability to concentrate or think clearly, talk about self-harm or suicide, talk about having unsettling thoughts, using drugs or drinking to cope), then you may want to suggest that maybe getting some help might be beneficial for them. You can offer to help book an initial appointment with a therapist or doctor to support them in this process. You might need to set a boundary by saying something like: “I really want to support you, but I’m not trained in how to deal with what you’re facing, and maybe I can support you to find someone you feel comfortable talking to.” If you are worried that they are going to harm themselves or someone else, you will want to try and encourage them to go to the hospital to get some support and in some cases, you may need to call emergency services to keep them safe.

If you’re feeling overwhelmed or unsure of how to support someone with a mental illness, you may want to consider talking to someone you trust as well. Get some support to take care of yourself. A mental health professional would be able to help you to understand how to set boundaries and how to communicate clearly with someone who is struggling with mental illness or addiction.

A: Anxiety can be caused by stressful life events, trauma, genetics, environmental factors, diet, medication, and health issues. Anxiety may be triggered by a big event that happened in your life, or a build up of many stressful life events over time. Anxiety is normal and common life experience. Many people suffer from anxiety and when your brain is feeling anxious, it is quite common for your mind to think bad things or scary things when it is in an anxious state.

I would encourage you to consider talking to someone to understand your own experiences of anxiety better and what triggers you have. When you understand what is going on for you personally, you can learn ways to better manage your thinking when your mind goes to places you do not want it to go.