A recent survey in Chatham-Kent shows that about one third of residents struggle with their mental health and many of them feel lost about where to turn.
Laura Zettler, an epidemiologist with the Chatham-Kent Public Health Unit, says this is the first time the health unit is partnering with Ipsos Public Affairs and the Lambton Public Health to run a community health survey. The findings of the survey were presented at Wednesday's Chatham-Kent Board of Health meeting.
Zettler says many of the results of the survey are on par with similar communities throughout the province and country. For example, survey results illustrate that 69% of Chatham-Kent residents have very good or excellent mental health.
On the other hand, 29% of respondents reported that they have been affected by their mental health in the past year and 23% reported that they have been diagnosed with a mental health condition or illness by a health care professional.
"A quarter to a third of people tend to be dealing with or affected by mental health in some way...whether they've taken time off work or school to deal with a mental health issue, if they've been diagnosed with mental illness, or if they've spoken with their doctor about their mental health issues," says Zettler.
Zettler says one finding that stands out in the survey is that only 28% of Chatham-Kent residents are very confident about knowing where to find information about mental health. As well, the survey shows that only 19% of residents strongly agree that finding information about mental health and mental illness is convenient and/or accessible in the Chatham-Kent community.
"A lot of people are very comfortable in approaching their family doctor about mental health issues, but in terms of seeking out information about mental health and mental illness, a lot of people are not very confident in navigating the resources and information out in the community and knowing where is best to get that information," says Zettler.
Zettler says though there are many resources available for mental health in the community, they may not be mapped out as well as they could be. She says Chatham-Kent Public Health could potentially take on the role of trying to coordinate that better so people can navigate and find those resources more easily in the community. She thinks the health unit should look for potential gaps in mental health information and resources and talk to community partners about how to fill those.
According to Zettler, there are very low levels of stigma attached to mental health in Chatham-Kent. According to the survey findings, over 80% of residents rate themselves as having very low or low levels of stigma towards mental illness. However, she says this does not mean that stigma does not exist.
"There is a chunk of the population, about 20%, that does carry some of that stigma so that is important to address. We really want to move to where our community doesn't have that stigma associated with mental health and mental illness so people can feel free to reach out and get the supports and services that they really need," says Zettler.
Zettler says it is crucial for Chatham-Kent residents to have the resources and supports they need to address mental health issues.
"In public health we've always seen mental health as important in terms of the overall health and well-being of a community. It's really something that really can't be ignored. Mental health is costly to our health care system. It's something that can be worked on from a prevention stand-point from very young ages within our population. It's just important to have on everybody's radar, because it's a very important part of people's overall health and well being," explains Zettler.