Mental illness 'final frontier' of socially acceptable discrimination

Costing economy $51 billion annually

Montreal (20 Aug. 2008) - A Canadian Medical Association (CMA) survey says Canadians have a long way to go in dealing with attitudes toward mental health.

The findings indicate that mental illness remains in some respects "the final frontier of socially acceptable discrimination," the association said in releasing the survey at its annual convention in Montreal.

Among the findings:

Almost half of Canadians (46%) think people use the term mental illness as an excuse for bad behaviour.
One in four Canadians is fearful of being around those who suffer from serious mental illness.
Only half of Canadians would tell friends or coworkers that a family member suffers from mental illness, compared to 72% for cancer or 68% for diabetes.
Nearly two out of three Canadians (61%) would be unlikely to use a family doctor with a mental illness while 58% would decline to use a lawyer, child-care worker or financial adviser with the illness.

The CMA says mental health issues cost the economy $51 billion per year - nearly one third of all the health care spending in Canada.

About 60% of Canadians agree the diagnosis and treatment of mental illness is underfunded, and 72% say it should get as much financing as diseases such as cancer and diabetes.

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