The Aboriginal group emphasized the importance of culturally appropriate interventions, including a holistic approach, traditional medicine and Elders.
Most Canadians surveyed show optimism about the prospect for recovery, with 59% agreeing with the statement that people can recover completely from mental health problems. Fifty per cent of FNMI respondents agreed with the statement. The survey did not assess attitudes about recovery by type of mental disorder. In the focus groups, participants were generally more optimistic about the prospect of recovery from depression than from schizophrenia, and less likely to say that schizophrenia could improve without treatment compared to depression. This is consistent with research findings that show serious mental illness is more apt to be viewed as a medical illness requiring of treatment, but also as chronic and often not amenable to treatment interventions. Footnote 77
Canadians show mixed preferences with regard to treatment interventions. While they are more inclined to recommend medical help for symptoms of mental disorders than would be expected from the research, they remain ambivalent about medical care. The ambivalence is more pronounced toward medical treatment for common mental health problems and toward the use of psychiatric medications, as found in other studies. Footnote 78 These results are consistent with the expressed beliefs of Canadians about causal factors-–if the principal cause of mental disorders is situational stressors, then as suggested by focus group participants, medication would not address the underlying problem.
The findings may also reflect Canadian health care system realities. Because most people receive their primary health care from physicians and the only publicly funded treatment options are medical, people are more familiar with and are more likely to recommend medical care. This may explain why a majority of survey respondents thought psychotherapy would be helpful but few recommended it, and why in the focus groups, people indicated a preference for a variety of supports but often lacked knowledge about the options available.
There are several implications of these findings for enhancing mental health literacy. As family physicians will continue to serve as primary care providers for most Canadians with mental health problems, enhancing the capacity of physicians to identify and manage mental disorders is essential. Footnote 79 Focus group results revealed a preference for a comprehensive approach to mental health care, and collaborative mental health care shows benefits for practitioners and consumers. However, implementation requires advocacy to remove policy and funding barriers. Footnote 80
Return to note 77 Angermeyer and Matschinger, 1999; Lauber et al 2004; Mann and Himelein, 2004; Phelan et al, 2006
Return to note 78 Angermeyer and Matschinger, 1996; Priest et al, 1996; Jorm, 2000; Angermeyer and Matschinger, 2001; Lauber et al, 2001; Hegerl et al, 2002; Hoencamp et al, 2002; Highet et al, 2002; Lauber et al, 2003b
Return to note 79 Rix et al, 1999; Thompson et al, 2000
Return to note 80 Gow and McNiven, 2004