Mental Health

What is mental health?

The term mental health refers to a person’s psychological, emotional, and social wellbeing. It is not simply the absence of disorder or illness (World Health Organization, 2014). Mental health affects how we act, think, and feel, as well as determines how we make decisions and interact with the world around us.

What affects mental health? 

Every person’s experience with mental health is unique and is affected by a variety of interacting factors at individual, social, and structural levels. These conditions are often referred to as the social determinants of health, and affect a person’s mental and physical health. According to the Canadian Mental Health Association (2017), the social determinants of mental health in Canada include:

  • Early life, access to education

  • Employment and working conditions, job security

  • Housing, food insecurity, and access to health services

  • Gender and gender identity, sexual orientation

  • Income and income distribution

  • Race and Indigeneity

  • Disability

  • Social exclusion and social safety net

Mental Health and Substance Use

People use substances for a variety of reasons. People with mental health issues may use substances to help them feel more comfortable and accepted or to reduce issues of anxiety, depression, sleep problems, hallucinations and more. People who have issues with substance use can also develop symptoms of mental illness such as anxiety and depression. For these reasons, mental health and substance use issues are often grouped together.

Mental Health Promotion

Mental health is essential for the wellbeing of not only individuals but communities as well. Mental health promotion focuses on addressing the social determinants of health in order to enhance peoples’ ability to cope with stressful situations, experience a positive quality of life, and realize their full potential (Canadian Mental Health Association, 2008). Three main areas have been identified as the most significant determinants of mental health and are therefore priority areas in need of addressing by mental health promotion (Keleher & Armstrong, 2006):

  1. Social inclusion

  2. Freedom from discrimination and violence

  3. Access to economic resources

Mental health promotion programs and initiatives that address these priority areas can act at the individual, social and structural levels. Some examples include:

  • Ensuring access to free space for recreation and other activities to strengthen social interactions

  • Developing culturally appropriate policies and programs that promote the inclusion of new immigrants and refugees within the greater community

  • Expanding and enforcing strategies to eliminate discrimination associated with race, gender, sexual orientation, and disability

  • Increasing access to affordable housing and safe housing environments

  • Securing an adequate level of income for all Ontarians’ to ensure food security, education and housing

For more examples and further details about mental health promotion initiatives you can visit the Canadian Mental Health Associations’ website.

Mental Health Resources

There are a variety of mental health resources available for those who are looking for more information or need help with a specific issue. This could be in the form of telephone help lines, in-person counselling, emergency shelters, or contacting 911 in the case of an emergency.

Counselling services within Toronto can be found through eMentalHealth or Toronto Central Health Line. Students at Colleges and Universities will often have access to counselling services through their school.

Often, mental health goes hand-in-hand with other personal and social challenges. For other support, you can find information on our website about Supervised Consumption and Injection services; Harm Reduction supplies; Sexual Health resources; and Social, Employment, and Housing Assistance.

References

Canadian Mental Health Association. (2008). Mental health promotion in Ontario: a call to action.

Canadian Mental Health Association. (2014). Social Determinants of Health. Retrieved from: https://ontario.cmha.ca/provincial-policy/social-determinants/

Keleher, H. M., & Armstrong, R. L. (2006). Evidence-based mental health promotion resource.

World Health Organization and Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation. (2014).  Social determinants of mental health. Geneva, Switzerland.