It’s time to #GETLOUD about Mental Health Awareness

Over 20 percent of the Canadian population suffers from mental health issues that affect their lives in a meaningful way preventing them from living life to the fullest.

Mental health is an invisible disability and many people who suffer from mental health issues suffer alone as it goes un-noticed by their families, peers and friends but we know that 1 in 5 people in Canada face mental health problems and it’s time to join together and help our loved ones get the help they need and remind them that there is hope.

Mental Health Awareness #GETLOUD

The most common mental illnesses are Depression, Anxiety disorder, Panic disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder & post-traumatic stress.

1.Depression: Depression is a medical illness that negatively affects a person who faces severe despair and dejection. Here are the symptoms of Depression:

• Loss of energy.
• Feeling sad or having a low mood most of the time.
• Not feeling worthy enough to live.
•  Unable to focus on anything.
• Thought of suicide or death.

Disability Tax Credit for Depression

 2. Anxiety disorder: This is a reaction towards stress or fear. Anxiety disorder may cause physical symptoms too which includes increased heart rate and shivering. Symptoms of Anxiety disorder:

• Unable to sleep.
• Heart palpitations.
•  Unable to stay calm.
•  Finding difficulty to breathe.

 Disability Tax Credit for Anxiety

3. Panic disorder: People with Panic Disorder are terrified and have attacks, sudden rush of discomfort and a fear of something bad is going to happen to them. The symptoms are:

• Sweating.
• Chest pain or discomfort.
• Dizziness.
• Feeling of chocking.

4. Obsessive compulsive disorder: Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is an enduring and long-lasting disorder in which a person has uncontrollable, reoccurring thoughts and behaviors that he or she feels the urge to repeat over and over again. The symptoms for this are:

• Excessive cleaning.
• Fear of germs.
• Aggressive thoughts towards self or others.

5. Post-traumatic stress: This is an emotional well-being condition that is triggered to a person through a terrific event. These are the symptoms for post-traumatic stress:

• Nightmares.
• Anxiety.

History of Mental Health Awareness Week

Mental Illness Awareness Week (MIAW) is an annual national education campaign to spread about the actuality about Mental Illness. May 7-13th is considered as the week of (MIAW) and it is the 67th Mental Awareness Week and we proudly celebrate this week as we #GetLoud. It was in 1951 when the mental health week came into picture. It’s been 66 years since this awareness has been raised and is not only for people to help and get support of the illness but also to #GetLoud and speak up about their issues and make them believe that they are not alone in this journey. We Canadians embrace this week and help our loved ones to overcome any kind of disorder.

Events Held

There are a number of events that are happening in Canada where we can enroll ourselves or our loved ones and help them.

May 9th – May 10th (8:00 am to 4:00 pm): CMHA Certified Psychological Health and Safety Advisor Training (Calgary).

How can we help?

There are numerous ways to treat a person who has mental illness. Few of the ways might be to consult a doctor or a psychiatrist, who can provide both therapy and medicinal treatment. Treatments can also include:

• Psychotherapy.
• Group therapy.
• Hypnotherapy etc.

We at Disability Credit Canada help disabled Canadians apply for and receive the disability tax credit from the government of Canada. To start with, you can check Disability Tax Credit & CPP Disability Guides & Resources to see if you are eligible or you can also call us on our toll free line and receive a free no-obligation assessment.