Mental Health - Interprofessional Practice

Mental Illness:

Mental illnesses are characterized by alterations in thinking, mood or behaviour associated with significant distress and impaired functioning.

Examples of specific mental illnesses include:

• Mood disorders: major depression and bipolar disorder
• Schizophrenia
• Anxiety disorders
• Personality disorders
• Eating disorders
• Problem gambling
• Substance dependency

Risk Factors:

Mental illness arises from a complex interaction of genetic, biological, personality and environmental factors. Mental illnesses affect people of all ages, education levels, income levels and cultures.

Specific risk factors include:

• family history of mental illness,
• age,
• sex,
• substance abuse,
• chronic diseases,
• family, workplace, life event stresses.

The effect of each of these risk factors varies among mental disorders. For example, women are at greater risk than men for some disorders (and vice versa) and some disorders typically appear in early adulthood (18 to 30 years) whereas others show a higher risk in middle age between 40 and 60 years.

For more information about minimizing the risks, managing mental illness, facts and figures about mental illness in Canada, check out the Government of Canada's website, Mental Illness. The website also offers brief information on Indigenous Peoples and Mental Illness and the Canadian Nurse provides a good summary of using Indigenous knowledge to address mental illness in Indigenous communities.

 Lastly, for library provides good books on the key issues discussed within mental health and well-being, check out some of these books listed below. 

From: https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/chronic-diseases/mental-illness.html