Although Canada is recognized internationally for Medicare, access to mental health services remains an issue. People affected by long-term mental illness are yet to be afforded comparable home care service that people who have physical illness receive. Excessive waiting lists and over-subscribed caseloads for Community Psychiatric/Mental Health Nurses are more the norm than the exception. Coverage of psychotropic prescription medication remains a burden for many families who are not receiving Social Assistance.

The Canadian mental health system fails to provide service to many individuals, families, groups and communities that are grappling with mental health/illness issues as they remain undiagnosed by any health professional. Many Canadians are criminalized because of untreated and/or undiagnosed mental illness. Mental health services available within provincial and federal prisons range from inadequate to non-existent.

People affected by mental health/illness issues and the professionals who provide care have historically been stigmatized by society and the health system generally. The literature affords evidence of the oppression of individuals and their families who struggle with mental health/illness issues. Meaningful participation through collaborative decision- making takes time and is often limited by paternalistic patterns created by systems intent on saving time and costs.

The world has evolved to become a technological society that increasingly requires thinking skills. People affected by mental health/illness issues may be compromised to fully participate in the work force if quality mental services are not available. This could translate into devastating economic effects for all Canadians as the burden of disease due to mental illness is enormous. All Canadians shoulder the burden of the cost and the responsibility to create hope.

The Canadian Business & Economic Roundtable on Mental Health confidently projects that 1/3 to ½ of people who are collecting disability are away from work due to mental health reasons. Medical conditions that impair mental health of working people cost businesses worldwide hundreds of billions of dollars (in US figures) per year.

There is a growing concern about the global impact of mental illness. The World Health Organization has stated that there is 'an urgent need to address mental health/illness issues world wide'. The Secretary General of the United Nations commented in 1995 that 'mental health problems need to become a priority as they pose a threat to individual well-being, a threat to peace and development worldwide'. The World Bank and the World Health Organization have calculated that the burden of mental disorders alone constitutes 10% of the global burden of disease.

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