May 10, 2006 – Women’s
mental health, mental illness and addictions experts and advocates from across
Canada applauded the call for a Mental Health Transition Fund by the Standing
Senate Committee on Social Affairs, Science and Technology, but expressed
deep concern over the absence of any gender analysis in the Committee’s
final report on mental health, mental illness and addiction in Canada, released
yesterday.
Members of the Ad Hoc Working Group on Women, Mental Health, Substance Use and Addictions
observed that the Committee’s final report, entitled Out of the Shadows
at Last, is “gender blind” and overlooks the fact that women
are the majority of patients as well as paid and unpaid care providers in
Canada. This oversight is glaring in light of Canada’s explicit commitments
to gender equity and to using a system of Gender Based Analysis (GBA) in
policy and program development. Its absence is particularly striking in the
discussion of issues that primarily affect women, such as care-giving, or
of mental health problems that mostly affect women, such as depression, anxiety
disorders, post traumatic stress disorders, eating disorders and dementia.
They were further troubled
by the lack of a specific definition of mental illness in the Committee’s final report, and raised the concern that
this ambiguity could result in overlooking conditions that predominantly
affect women.
According to the World
Health Organization (WHO), by 2010 depression will be second only to ischemic
heart disease in terms of the global burden of illness. “We must be careful not to funnel all mental health resources
to conditions like schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, while neglecting conditions
like depression and trauma-related disorders – which affect women
disproportionately,” said Kathy Hegadoren of the University of Alberta.
The Committee’s final report is equally silent on the issue of violence
against girls and women, which has a significant and well-documented impact
on long-term physical and mental health.
Another concern raised
by group members and emphasized in their background document points to the
inadequate consideration of harm reduction approaches to women’s substance use
and addictions in the recommendations of the Committee’s final report.
“Canadian
programs for pregnant women and mothers with addictions built on women-centred
models of care and harm reduction principles are recognized internationally
for their contributions to policies, programs, and services for women and
their children. There is a growing evidence base showing that harm reduction
approaches are integral to improving the health of women with substance use
problems. Given this, it is surprising that the Committee missed an opportunity
to embrace the contribution of women-centred and harm reduction approaches
as integral components of any national strategy for mental health and addictions,” said
Amy Salmon of the British Columbia Centre of Excellence for Women's Health.
Group members were more
encouraged by the Committee's proposal for the creation of a Mental Health
Transition Fund, but cautioned against recreating the “gender
blind spot”.
“While we support the Mental Health Transition Fund,
and especially the Mental Health Housing Initiative & Basket of Community
Services, it is essential that some of these funds be specifically allocated
to women's services, including anti-violence initiatives, services for women
and substance use, and women-specific housing supports,” said Marina
Morrow of Simon Fraser University.
Referring to the Canadian
Mental Health Commission proposed by the Committee, Madeline Boscoe, Executive
Director of the Canadian Women’s Health Network added, “It is critically
important that the Commission establish a women’s mental health unit
and that over half the commissioners are women.”
An extensive report, “Women,
Mental Health, Mental Illness and Addiction in Canada: An Overview,” has
been prepared by the Ad Hoc Working Group on Women, Mental Health, Substance
Use and Addictions. It includes a wide range of “briefing notes” on
a range of key issues and offers recommendations to ensure that Canada’s
new mental health strategy meets the needs of women and girls. It can be
found on the website of the Canadian Women’s Health Network at www.cwhn.ca.
"We
must remember that in most cultures, baskets are traditionally both woven
by women and carried by women."
For more details or to arrange interviews with members of the Working Group, contact:
Laila Malik: Tel: (204)-942-5500 ext. 20; Cell: (514) 515-1134; Email: news@cwhn.ca
