National Mental Health Commission increases mental health profile

As chair of the Advisory Committee on Science to the newly formed National Mental Health Commission, Faculty of Health Sciences professor Elliot Goldner is poised to play a key role in improving mental health for Canadians. The Mental Health Commission of Canada was established in September 2007 to develop a national mental health strategy, decrease the stigma associated with mental illness, and ensure knowledge exchange and translation among the provinces and territories.  The Commission was established because an analysis by the Canadian Senate found mental health services to be fragmented, and Canada was identified as the only G8 country without a national mental health strategy. The Mental Health Commission has a 10-year mandate to improve the condition of Canada’s mental health system.

Goldner, a health scientist and psychiatrist with more than 20 years of experience in mental health and addiction services and policy, is optimistic the Commission will create improvements for Canadians with mental health problems.

 “This is the first time Canada has had a commission of this kind. The structure of Canada’s health system, with its emphasis on provincial/territorial operations, has made it difficult to develop a national strategy. Creation of the Commission will enable us to share information and knowledge across provinces and territories, and work cooperatively,” says Goldner, a member of SFU’s Centre for Applied Research in Mental Health and Addiction (CARMHA).

“It is wonderful to see mental health and addictions problems receiving attention by society. The population has recognized that mental health and substance use problems are significant issues and people are now more comfortable speaking openly and working to find solutions,” says Goldner. In the Canadian workplace, depression is responsible for profound disability and a World Health Organization study estimated that depression would soon become the leading contributor to world-wide burden of disease.  A recent study by the Canadian Institute for Health Information reported that a large proportion of homeless people obtain mental health services through emergency departments in Canada.

The Mental Health Commission of Canada is chaired by former Canadian Senator Michael Kirby. The Commission consists of an 18-member Board of Directors staffed with 11 non-governmental and six government-appointed directors, and eight advisory committee chairs led by prominent mental health experts.  Goldner and other members of the advisory committee on science will advise on issues related to science and quality of evidence relevant to the activitites of the Commission.

Goldner says that the Canadian Commission has been asked by the World Health Organization (WHO) to collaborate on projects addressing mental health issues. Consequently, the Commission is poised to develop an international profile and “will seek to work closely with colleagues in other nations to ameliorate mental health and substance use problems,” says Goldner.