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DID YOU KNOW...

 

  • Mental illness indirectly affects all Canadians at some time through a family member, friend or colleague.
     

  • 20% of Canadians will personally experience a mental illness in their lifetime.
     

  • Suicide is one of the leading causes of death in both men and women from adolescence to middle age.
     

  • Stigma or discrimination attached to mental illnesses presents a serious barrier, not only to diagnosis and treatment but also to acceptance in the community.
     

  • Almost one half (49%) of those who feel they have suffered from depression or anxiety have never gone to see a doctor about this problem.
     

  • ​The economic cost of mental illnesses in Canada for the health care system was estimated to be at least $7.9 billion in 1998​.

     

  • Suicide is among the leading causes of death in 15-24 year old Canadians, second only to accidents; 4,000 people die prematurely each year by suicide.
     

  • ​In Canada, only 1 out of 5 children who need mental health services receives them.​

     

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The Yoga & Wellness Show is not only promoting physical health, but mental health as well.  Sometimes when we think about wellness, we forget about our mental wellness.  That's why the Yoga & Wellness Show has chosen Healthy Minds Canada (HMC) as the charity we will be supporting this year. 

 

Since 1980, HMC has funded 400 research projects at 42 universities and teaching hospitals across Canada.  HMC has reached over a hundred thousand people through knowledge transfer initiatives such as workshops, symposia, conferences, printed and online resources and hundreds of thousands more through social media.

 

Their programs include: Taking Charge, a full day conference designed to empower people to own their mental health recovery and assist those who care for them; Lunch & Learns, a series of free community discussions on a variety of mental illness and addictions; ACT! an activity based program for youth; Bend & Unwind, a youth Yoga and Mindfulness program; and Bright Future, a one day conference regarding recovery from mental illness and addictions.

 

HMC’s three volume handbook series” When Something’s Wrong” is designed to assist teachers, families, and employers in identifying and managing mental health and addictions issues within their respective environments. They have adapted the content from the “Ideas for Families” version as the base for supportiveminds.ca, their new online tool for parents.

 

They are also able to offer access to FeelingBetterNow®, an online collaborative mental healthcare program designed to help individuals identify emotional and mental health issues as early as possible.

 

Other initiatives include the development of apps, collaboration with wearable technology companies to complement the subject matter in the WSW handbooks and to instill empathy and mindfulness about all areas of mental wellness, and 1001 Ways to Wonder, a YouTube series in partnership with filmmaker Bryce Sage that explores the science behind mental illness and addictions in a fun way.

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