In Mississauga, like many other urban centers, there is a recurrent and intermingled correlation between poverty, mental illness, and substance abuse. The Centre of Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) reports that 1 in 5 Canadians will experiencing mental health or addition in their lifetime, which increases to 1 in 2 over the age of 40. CAMH also reports those in the lowest income group are 3-4 times more likely to report mental illness than the highest income group, and 23-67% of homeless people report having mental illness. Additionally, those with mental health issues are 20% more likely to have a co-current substance abuse issue, up to 50% for those with schizophrenia. And those with a substance abuse problem are 3 times more likely to have mental illness (Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, 2020). Therefore, this intermingled dependence between poverty, mental illness, and substance abuse tells us that social assistance in all three areas is needed to help susceptible populations. If only one area is addressed, the other two factors will still play a roll in perpetuating the problem.
According to the Mental Health Foundation, 75% of mental illnesses originate in childhood and adolescence, with only 20% receiving counseling (Mental health Foundation, 2020). The region of Peel reports that 12% of students grade 7-12 have used non-prescription opiates in their lifetime (Kujbida et al., 2017). Knowing there’s high correlation between mental health and substance abuse, its no surprise that opiate use can start that young. If adolescent mental illnesses are mismanaged (i.e. untreated, treated late, or treated inadequately) they can result in school and work failure, strained relationships, suicide, hospitalization, and, homelessness, violence, and legal problems. Early identification of adolescent mental health may help to decrease substance abuse later in life and potentially create more financially stable adults. Early intervention strategies and education for those who interact closely with children will help to identify mental health symptoms early on, and allow for treatment to be sought. Additionally, negative environments have a large impact on children’s mental health. Having access to afterschool programs and classrooms with appropriate conflict resolution strategies provide a solid foundation for their mental health. Lastly, the home environment plays a key role in developing a child’s understanding of the world. Any program that encourages a healthy home environment (i.e. family assistance programs, subsidized daycare, food banks, family events etc.) will have a trickle down effect on the home environment, alleviating family stress. The region of Peel already employs numerous social assistance programs such as child care subsidies, income tax clinics, housing assistance, and more, which can be found on the Peel website.
If teaching and encouraging mental resilience to our youth is a priority for our teachers, parents, and care givers, then children and teens will be more confident and empowered to make smarter choices regarding drugs and drug related incidents. This could decrease the prevalence of substance abuse and related income concerns. Though Peel offers some drop-in programs, the age cut-off is 6 years of age. With mental health issues being prevalent into the teens, the addition of programs for pre-teens and teens would help encourage age appropriate settings as well as access to trained professionals who can identify mental health disparities in adolescents. These changes will better serve a vulnerable population proactively instead of retroactively. The Peel Children’s Centre has programs and initiative for children’s mental health, and resources for parents. They also have a 24/7 crisis line (416) 410-8615. Additional mental health resources for the Mississauga/Halton regions can be found here. And Trillium Health Partners provide mental heal and addiction services for all ages.
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