PIC AND QUOTE

This is ….. [Mental Health Activist] In this section, we’ll examine Gen Z’s complex struggles with mental health, including living in an age with high rates of depression and anxiety, lengthy wait times for psychiatric services, and easy access to medications that can lead to addiction. We’ll share stories of one Gen Z hiding heroin addiction from his family another using over the counter cough syrup to —-

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Status of Mental Health

Millions of Canadians suffer from mental illnesses, also called mental disorders. The Mental Health Commission of Canada says that one in five Canadians experiences a mental health problem or illness in any given year. This includes Gen Z, whose issues are detailed in the graphic below:

The graphic below details how a large percentage of recently surveyed Canadian college students experienced symptoms associated with mental illnesses and poor mental health. After the graphic, we’ll explore what may be causing Gen Zs to develop mental illnesses and what is stressing them out.

The World Health Organization lists almost two dozen categories of mental disorders. These illnesses affect hundreds of millions of people worldwide.

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Mental illnesses are complex and there’s no one cause. Rather, there are several factors that can contribute to the development of a mental disorder. The Canadian Mental Health Association sorts them into three groups: physical factors (genetics, physical trauma and substance misue); environmental factors (severe psychological trauma, like war and sexual abuse); and social factors (work environment, stress, where we live and the strength of our support networks).

For Gen Z, stress is a huge factor. THEN SHOW GRAPHIC

The findings of a recent survey show some of what is creating one of these factors in members of Gen Z in the U.S. In the graphic below, we’ll outline what issues are stressing them out, as well as show you how some of their stressors compare to others. Below the graphic, we’ll take a look at some of the effects of mental illnesses.

Source: https://www.apa.org/news/press/releases/stress/2018/stress-gen-z.pdf

Just as there’s not a single cause for mental illness, there’s not just one sign or symptom for them either. The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health lists some of the most common for multiple mental disorders. The table below includes just some of those signs and symptoms for a select few mental disorders. For more information on disorders Gen Z can develop and their associated signs and symptoms, please click here. After, we’ll talk about the stigma that still surrounds mental health.

Source: https://www.camh.ca/en/health-info/mental-illness-and-addiction-index/anxiety-disorders

https://www.camh.ca/en/health-info/mental-illness-and-addiction-index/bipolar-disorder

https://www.camh.ca/en/health-info/mental-illness-and-addiction-index/depression

Gen Z lives in a society that talks about mental health. During this year’s Bell Let’s Talk Day campaign, for example, Bell says it logged over 150 million total communications. Some of these communications included social media posts that supported and spread awareness of mental health.

Despite having mainstream campaigns like this one, there’s still a stigma surrounding mental health.

Addiction

Stats

Student Interview

Brett Friend

OVER THE COUNTER INTERVIEW- Sean ANON

Long Wait Times