According to the World Health Organization (WHO), mental health disorders will be the world's leading cause of disability by 2030.
Recent data from Statistics Canada and CAMH back up the WHO warning. According to StatsCan, the percentage of 12 to 17-year-olds who describe their mental health as very good or excellent dropped from 73% in 2019, to 61% in 2022. In their responses to CAMH's 2023 Ontario Student Drug Use and Health Survey 51% of Ontario students reported a moderate-to-serious level of psychological distress - double the proportion from ten years ago.
But what do we mean when we talk about mental health?
Is it possible to learn how to be mentally healthy, in the same way we learn about, and practice physical health?