Pubdate: Sun, 17 Jun 2007 Source: Victoria Times-Colonist (CN BC) Copyright: 2007 Times Colonist Contact: http://www.canada.com/victoriatimescolonist/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/481 Author: Patrick Schnerch MENTAL ILLNESS, ADDICTION MISUNDERSTOOD There are still a lot of misconceptions about mental illness and addiction. We only see the ugly aftermath. We turn a blind eye to the homeless, incarcerated, institutionalized and the addicted. National statistics show that 92 per cent of people in jail are mentally ill and 86 per cent of our homeless also have this condition. Ninety per cent of suicides are related to mental illness. Fifty per cent of people with mental illness have addiction problems; many go undiagnosed because the drugs or alcohol mask the symptoms. Over all, one in 10 Canadians have a mental illness. Even with these outrageous numbers, society tends to offer Band-Aids which do not address the real problem. This is a medical condition. It is not a criminal issue nor a housing crisis. Very little government funds are being placed appropriately in the mental-health field and while billions of dollars are spent on cancer research, only seven per cent of research money goes to mental illness and addiction. Mental illness and addiction greatly affect daily living. It is all too common for these people to lose their jobs, homes and families. With no place to go, they go to the streets and parks. If half the money spent on incarceration was spent on preventive medicine, many of our social problems would decrease. Increased out-patient care would help people return to society. More beds for detox and residential stabilization would also have a huge effect on crime and homelessness. It is time to take the blinders off and see the world for what it is. Patrick Schnerch, Victoria. - --- MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom