According to the Mood Disorders Society of Canada, in 2009, two per cent of the world’s population were affected by a mental illness. This may not seem like much, until you consider what that percentage adds up to, which is about 136 million people.
It is also unlikely that there has been noteworthy improvement in the average person’s ability to differentiate between the many different kinds of mental illnesses.
All humans are prone to mental illness. They can be acquired hereditarily, meaning through the transmission of genes from parents. They can also develop through certain stimuli such as pressures from school or work, the kind of food we eat, substance use or abuse, and emotional circumstances.
The two per cent mentioned by the Mood Disorders Society of Canada are affected by mental illnesses that range from depression, bipolar disorder, and seasonal affective disorder, to anxiety disorders, schizophrenia, as well as eating and personality disorders.
In Canada, one out of five people have a chance of developing a mental illness, and one out of every 10 Canadians is dealing with a mental health issue at any given time. The percentage of Canadians who will experience serious depression (eight per cent) and anxiety disorders (12 per cent) is significantly higher than those who will develop bipolar disorder (one per cent) and schizophrenia (one per cent).
“I sometimes have serious periods of anxiety, which can lead me to have mood swings,” says second-year kinesiology student Brandon Nguyen. “It is mostly due to academic performance pressure. I am the only child of the family and I feel more pressured by my parents to perform well.”
He adds that hearing negative things his mom has to say about him and his grades every day makes it that much harder to live normally. He says it’s frustrating and lowers his motivation, self-esteem, and self-confidence. During those periods of anxiety, he is put into a bad mindset. He feels useless, unmotivated, empty, and angry.
Nguyen says he is overcoming this by volunteering as a youth leader in the local community. By volunteering, he feels useful and accepted. Among the leaders of his group of volunteers, he has been able to find a friend that helps him cope with his anxiety, a person he can rely on and trust when he expresses his emotions and difficulties in life.
“Seek help. Don’t be scared to talk about it,” he says to other students who may be going through a mental health crisis. “Don’t endure it alone.”
At York there are workshops regarding emotions, eating disorders and body image issues, stress management, grief and loss, anxiety, and relationships. These are offered in a monthly basis through the Personal Counselling Service and the Counselling and Disability Services.
Cedric Cruz, Staff Writer
Featured image courtesy of Victor Casele
