ONTARIO'S MENTAL HEALTH AND ADDICTIONS ACTION PLAN MUST CONSIDER GENDER
DIFFERENCES

Echo: Improving Women's Health in Ontario responds to the Select Committee on Mental Health and Addictions Final Report

TORONTO, Oct. 27 /CNW/ - The Select Committee on Mental Health and Addictions released its Final Report recently, but failed to consider gender when shaping its recommendations. Studies show that women experience mental health and addictions differently than men, at different rates, and they respond differently to treatment. In fact, more women report unmet mental health needs than men. These gender considerations are therefore integral to the development of a Mental Health and Addictions Action Plan for Ontarians.

Although Echo strongly supports the direction of the Select Committee's report, it suggests the following recommendations also be considered for the Action Plan.

• Develop and evaluate a standardized system of care.
  Women from across the province have shared with Echo that they find quality of care variable. Implementing a standardized system of care would increase the quality of mental health and addictions care and support more equitable care and outcomes.
  
• Integrate mental health, addictions, and trauma services.
  For many women, mental illness and addictions are related to the violence, poverty, stigma and discrimination they experience in their lives. Women across Ontario spoke about the need for trauma-informed services, especially for addictions treatment. They also expressed frustration with the lack of integrated services.
• Increase access to mental health and addictions services for women.
  Access to services varies among women in Ontario. Women in remote areas and low income neighbourhoods tend to access fewer mental health and addictions services, even though the need for these services tends to be higher in these areas.
  The Select Committee recommends the use of system navigators as one way to address barriers to access. Although system navigators would help to connect individuals with the services that they need in the short term, this time of change is an ideal opportunity to determine the most impactful solutions to create a system that is easy to navigate, instead of one that depends on key people to navigate for others.
  
• Co-ordinate social services with mental health and addictions services and provide more supports for low-income women.Mental health and addictions are often associated with low income, precarious housing food security issues, and under-employment. Better co-ordination among social services and mental health and addictions services will help support women and help prevent relapse.
  

Echo supports the Select Committee's recommendation that the Legislative Assembly of Ontario review progress on the implementation of the recommendations in the Action Plan within two years of its adoption. Echo is committed to working with organizations to improve the health system to meet the needs of women and their families.

QUOTES

"Gender is a critical determinant of health and influences how women and men experience mental wellbeing and manifest mental illness," says Dr. Nazilla Khanlou, Echo Chair in Women's Mental Health Research at York University. "A large body of evidence supports the need for gender-sensitive approaches to mental health promotion, mental illness prevention, and recovery. Recognizing the influence of gender on mental health makes for better policy and practice."

"Echo consulted with more than 300 women across the province from diverse backgrounds to solicit their views on depression, mental illness and addictions," says Pat Campbell, CEO, Echo. "System users, health care providers, advocates and researchers alike, consistently identified the need to engage and include them in creating programs to support them effectively. We need a mental health and addictions action plan that will respond."

QUICK FACTS

• Women are two to three times more likely to experience barriers to accessibility and acceptability of seeking mental healthcare.
• Women are one and a half times more likely to have a major depression than men.
• Women who have depression are more likely than men to have other mental health problems at the same time.

LEARN MORE

Select Committee on Mental Health and Addictions: Final Report Navigating the Journey to Wellness: The Comprehensive Mental Health and Addictions Action Plan for Ontarians
http://www.ontla.on.ca/committee-proceedings/committee-reports/files_pdf/Select%20Report%20ENG.pdf

Echo's Submission to the Select Committee on Mental Health and Addictions
http://www.echo-ontario.ca/echo/images/PDFs/d_stream/mental-health-and-addictions/echo_report_selectcommittee_mentalhealthandaddictions_en.pdf

Lin E, Diaz-Granados N, Stewart D, Rhodes A, Yeritsyan N, Johns A, Duong-Hua M, Bierman AS. 2009. Depression. Vol. 1, in Project for an Ontario Women's Health Evidence-Based Report, edited by Bierman AS. Toronto: Keenan Research Centre
http://powerstudy.ca/the-power-report/the-power-report-volume-1/depression

For further information:

Julie McFayden, Echo
416-597-9687 ext. 232