Psychology Month highlights mental illness costs Canadians $51 billion per year

February marks Psychology Month in British Columbia and the BC Psychological Association (BCPA) is raising awareness of the role psychology plays in our lives and communities with a public education campaign. The Mental Health Commission of Canada estimates the economic burden of mental illness at $51 billion per year. The Public Health Agency of Canada estimates that one in five Canadians will face a psychological disorder in their lifetime and mental illness is estimated to account for 30 per cent of short and long term disability claims.

To raise awareness that effective psychological treatments exist for the vast majority of mental illnesses, BCPA is sponsoring Psychology Month, with a free public presentation series on various mental health topics throughout the month of February.

Each of the talks will be facilitated by a BCPA member with topics ranging from understanding stress and depression to common happiness traps and attracting and holding on to love. This year, BCPA will be hosting select talks in Punjabi and Italian to reach a wider audience. BCPA hopes the presentation series will bring greater awareness of mental health concerns including anxiety, depression, anger, stress and fear while providing information on where the public can access treatment.

“Mental illness has a ripple effect on individuals, families, the workplace and the economy”, says Dr. Murray Ferguson, BC Psychological Association President. “Many people directly or indirectly affected by mental illness do not know where or how to seek help. Our goal with Psychology Month is to encourage people to explore the subject of their mental health, which is why we’re pleased to also be offering select talks in Punjabi and Italian this year. We hope the free public presentation series will open a dialogue across cultures and generations.”

BCPA operates a province-wide free psychologist referral service. Patients can search for a Registered Psychologist by city, client type, area of practice, therapy method and language by visiting http://www.psychologists.bc.ca/find_psychologist_full or by calling: 1-800-730-0522 or 604-730-0522

The following talks are sponsored by BCPA (*in partnership with Vancouver Public Library)

For more information on BCPA and the free presentation series, please visit www.psychologists.bc.ca or call 604-730-0501.