- Mental health problems can affect daily life — from taking medication and managing side effects to missing social events or taking time off work for yourself or to support someone else (Ipsos, 2017).
- When mental health declines, people may feel mentally and physically run down. It can impact:relationships, sleep, appetite, energy, decision‑making, physical health, and overall life satisfaction (CMHA BC & AnxietyBC, 2016).
- Mental health changes also affect families, friends, coworkers, and communities.
- There is no single cause of mental health problems. They arise from complex interactions between biology, genetics, trauma, social environments, and economic factors (MHCC, 2009).
Key Causes of Mental Health Problems
Trauma
- Trauma includes any deeply distressing experience — accidents, abuse, disasters, violence, or witnessing harm.
- Childhood trauma is a major root cause of adult disease and high‑risk behaviours.
- Trauma disproportionately affects vulnerable populations (Kimberg, 2016).
- In clinical settings, 80–90% of clients may have trauma histories (Saunders & Adams, 2014).
Biology & Physical Health
- The brain and body are connected. Physical illness can worsen mental health — and vice versa.
- Depression increases risk of stroke (2×) and cancer (1.5×).
- Meanwhile, 17–27% of people with heart disease and 22–29% of people with cancer develop depression (MDSC, 2013).
Social Determinants of Health
- These are the conditions in which people are born, grow, live, work, and age.
- They have stronger effects on health than diet, exercise, or substance use (Raphael, 2009).
- The 14 determinants include:income, education, job security, working conditions, early childhood development, food insecurity, housing, social exclusion, social safety nets, health services, Indigenous status, gender, race, disability (Raphael, 2009; Mikkonen & Raphael, 2010).
- Mental health problems and social conditions influence each other.Example: someone may lose housing due to mental illness — or lose mental health due to homelessness.
Equality vs. Equity
- Equality = everyone gets the same resources.
- Equity = people get the resources they need based on their circumstances.
- Health equity means reducing unjust, avoidable differences in health across groups (Saskatoon Health Region, 2014).