A report released by the Manitoba Centre for Health Policy (MCHP) shows at least 28 per cent of Manitoban adults deal with mental illness.
Part of the study looked at 60,000 people born between 1980 and 1985, analyzing data from childhood to adulthood.
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It showed 16 per cent of them were diagnosed with mental illness as youth. Two thirds of those diagnosed at a young age continued to live with the condition into adulthood.
Data showed when children diagnosed with mental illness became adults, they were more likely to use income assistance, become involved with the law and fail to graduate from high school. They were also more likely to have instances of suicidal behaviour.
“Other childhood factors, such as income and family structure, explain some of the association between childhood mental illness and adult difficulties, but the risk remained strong even after adjusting for those factors,” said Dr. Mariette Chartier, lead author of the study.
“Our findings indicate that childhood mental illness puts kids at significant risk for ongoing challenges later in life.”
The study also found that people hospitalized for suicide attempts prior to age 18 were three times more likely to die by suicide, and six times more likely to see additional hospitalizations for suicide attempts as adults.
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A separate snapshot of mental health in Manitoba was also taken from data acquired between 2010 and 2015, and shows that 28 per cent of adults were found to have at least one form of mental illness. Mood disorders were the most prevalent, including anxiety and depression, affecting an estimated 23 per cent of Manitobans.
Substance use disorder was the second most prevalent, with six per cent of Manitobans believed to struggle with addiction, followed by pychotic disorders, schizophrenia and personality disorders.
But researchers believe the prevalence of mental illness is actually higher than what the statistics show.
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“We cannot access those data, we can only work with the data we have here.”
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While the study provides a closer look at mental illness in Manitoba, it also showed its prevalence is unchanged since the last report from MCHP in 2004, and the suicide rate is the same as it was in the early 2000s.
“I’m hoping that by looking at the prevalence of mental illness, we will come to terms with the fact that many of us have experienced — or someone close to us has experienced — mental illness, and hopefully that will bring about change,” Dr. Chartier said. “It will improve our treatments, improve our attitudes, de-stigmatize — because that’s often what prevents people from going and seeking treatment.”
“The more aware society is, the more we can see change.”
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