Since 2005, the Canadian Psychological Association has named the month of February as Psychology Month. The goal of Psychology Month is to promote grassroot campaigning to raise awareness of the role of psychology in fostering mental health among Canadians. Psychologists are urged to reach out to their respective communities and encourage the public and lawmakers to support psychological research, education and training.
To recognize Psychology Month, a coalition of mental health groups including the Canadian Mental Health Association, the Mood Disorder Society of Canada, and the Canadian Psychological Association has recently issued a statement calling for additional funding for mental health services. Canadian Mental Health Association CEO, Peter Coleridge, pointed out that provincial health insurance plans do not cover psychological counseling services despite the fact that one in five Canadians will experience a mental disorder in a given year. For that reason, psychological treatment and assessment are out of reach for Canadians who are unable to afford to pay for those services themselves. The Canadian Alliance on Mental Illness and Mental Health (CAMIMH) has determined that two out of three people with a diagnosable mental disorder does not seek treatment. While reasons for not seeking treatment can be difficult to determine at times, affordability and stigma associated with mental illness often prevent Canadians from getting help. Recent initiatives in the United Kingdom and Australia have improved access to psychological services in those countries but similar access to services are often not available to many Canadians.
The statement also adds that mental health problems cost the Canadian economy $51 billion dollars a year in lost productivity. According to the World Health Organization, depression will be the second leading cause of disability by 2020 (second only to heart disease).
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Psychology Month for the public.
Psychology Month news and events.
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