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www.insideHALTON.com | OAKVILLE BEAVER | Friday, July 5, 2013 | 10 Everyone is touched by mental illness: Wilson by Nathan Howes Special to the Beaver When it comes to mental illness, no one is untouched. The short, but strong statement was made by former federal finance minister Michael Wilson last week as keynote speaker at the Oakville Community Foundation's (OCF) annual general meeting. Wilson's address was part of a candid discussion on mental health as it affects youths. He was joined in a follow-up panel discussion by Dr. Alan Brown, chief of psychiatry at Halton Healthcare Services (HHS) and Angela Kays-Burden, director of innovative practice at Reach Out Centre for Kids (ROCK). Wilson knows too well the effects of a mental illness -- his 29-year-old son Cameron took his own life in 1995 after battling depression for years. "What should have been a very exciting time of his life, he lost all hope with the pressure of this illness. I saw firsthand the attitude or feeling that an individual like that has," said Wilson. "Because he didn't have an opportunity to talk to people, it made his illness much more difficult for him to handle." A story like Cameron's is becoming all too common, Wilson said, adding students are increasingly feeling pressure as they make the transition to college or university and then the workforce. "(It is) weighing on their minds, putting pressure and causing stress, which can lead to these problems. It is very difficult for them sometimes to get treatment and understand what is causing the problems they feel coming on," said Wilson. He said mental health is one of the most important issues today. It isn't just a health issue -- it's also an "economic and humanitarian issue." According to Wilson, mental illness is the No. 1 cause of workplace disability in Canada. The cost to the Canadian economy is more than $50 billion. "One in five will or have suffered from a mental illness at some stage of our lives. Every day there are some 500,000 Canadians who are absent from work due to mental illness," said Wilson. By 2020, depression will be the leading cause of disability everywhere, Wilson explained, noting the One in five will or have suffered from a mental illness at some stage of our lives. Every day there are some 500,000 Canadians who are absent from work due to mental illness. former federal finance minister Michael Wilson burden of mental illness is one-anda-half times higher than cancer and about seven times higher than infectious diseases. While Canada has made progress, "stigma still prevails," he said, adding half of Canadians say they would hide a family member's mental illness from friends or colleagues. "They're too ashamed to talk about it and sometimes they're not aware of what it is. People around the globe are facing this same instance of ignorance about the illness or being in denial," said Wilson. "Only about a third of Canadians will receive the care they actually need." Wilson said researchers have almost reached a point where they could use personalized medicine to identify people who are prone to a mental illness. Precautionary steps could be taken while watching for early signs of a problem. "The ultimate (goal) is to be able to identify these problems in a way to avoid the very serious psychotic attacks that are so detrimental to people who suffer from a mental illness," said Wilson. The federal government has been "very helpful" in supporting partner- ships between health organizations to treat mental illnesses, he said. For example, a potential government investment up to $100 million is going to Brain Canada. "If there's anything I learned over this last decade, it's that no one has all the answers. No one can do it all and that's why it's important to reach out in as many ways as possible," said Wilson. During the panel discussion, topics included the roles communities have in treating mental illness and in helping form a national mental health policy. Brown said there are two key groups in the community that need to be engaged -- schools and primary care professionals -- to help youths learn what mental health disorders are and what causes them. "When we start to work on a local level, we start to develop concrete examples that I think can drive the mental health policy from the bottom up. We can't just wait for a top-down kind of movement," said Brown. "The national health profession can learn from what happens locally." 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