We should be working together to help the mentally ill, not bonding over our mutual dislike of them on transit
By Ljudmila Petrovic
Photos by Ben Buckley
I was riding the number 20 bus along Commercial Drive when a man came onto the bus and sat across from me. His hygiene was questionable, his nails were long and dirty, his clothes ragged, and he was incoherently muttering — all common sights on Vancouver’s public transit. Yet people began to raise their eyebrows and exchange looks; people that moments before had been strangers now shared the camaraderie of thinking this man was bat-shit crazy.
This individual’s situation is surely aggravated by other factors, mainly socio-economic ones, but mental illness affects people from every level of education, status, race, gender, and age. Yes, it can present itself as the man on the bus, but it also includes mood disorders, eating disorders, addiction, and a string of other, less apparent — but equally important — issues. According to the Canadian Mental Health Association, 20 per cent of Canadians will personally experience a mental illness in their lifetime, and the rest will probably deal with a loved one with mental illness. With a statistic so high, why are mental health issues still being stigmatized? It is not the man on the bus who needs to feel ashamed, it’s we who do not provide the acceptance and treatment necessary to help these individuals.
There has certainly been a recent rise in awareness surrounding mental health issues, such as Bell Canada’s 2010 “Let’s Talk” initiative, but the stigma surrounding these issues remains a burden on our society. According to the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, only 50 per cent of Canadians would be open about a family member having a mental illness; needless to say, the numbers are much higher for diseases such as cancer and diabetes. Furthermore, a whopping 46 per cent of Canadians think that the term “mental illness” is just used as an excuse for bad behavior. This means that almost half of Canadians think that people suffering from any mental illness ranging from psychosis — such as schizophrenia and bipolar disorder in some cases — to depression, to eating disorders are not suffering at all; rather, they have chosen that path for themselves.
As if this wasn’t a ridiculous enough statistic, 27 per cent of Canadians are actually scared of being around people that they know suffer from serious mental illness. It’s all fine to just brush this off as being ignorance on the part of a percentage of the population, but it’s not at all insignificant and it has detrimental effects on treatment: 49 per cent of people that have experienced anxiety or depression have never gone to a doctor for it, and only one-third of Canadians who need mental health services actually receive them — quite possibly because they are afraid to seek them. [pullquote]This means that almost half of Canadians think that people suffering from any mental illness are not suffering at all; rather, they have chosen that path for themselves.[/pullquote]
As it stands, our society’s view of mental health is one that marginalizes those that are suffering from mental health issues, and places blame on those individuals for being “weak” or a “burden on the system.” When we look at the numbers, however, the burden lies with those trying to deal with their issues on their own: while mental illnesses make up more than 15 per cent of disease sin Canada, only 5.5 per cent of health care dollars are put aside for the treatment of this incredibly sensitive area of disorders. Having a mental health issue is no more shameful than having any other disorder, and it should not be treated as such. This country is in dire need of an increase in awareness and acceptance — not to mention treatment options — for those suffering from mental health issues.
