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Mental health
Just like physical health, mental health is a key part of our overall well-being. It is greatly influenced by our living conditions and our social environment.
In Greater Montreal, mental health issues are becoming more and more widespread, and they intersect with other social realities, such as poverty, social isolation, housing, and homelessness.
What’s the difference between mental health and mental illness?
Mental health can be defined as our emotional, psychological, and social well-being. It influences how we feel, manage stress, relate to others, and cope with daily challenges. Everyone has a certain degree of mental health that changes with their experiences and living conditions.
Mental illness refers to disorders that affect thinking, mood, or behaviour and that can cause significant distress. These conditions include anxiety disorders, persistent depressive disorder, bipolar disorder, borderline personality disorder, and schizophrenia. Symptom severity will vary for each individual depending on their social and economic circumstances.
💡 A key distinction!
Mental health is not determined by whether someone has or does not have a mental illness. You can live with a mental illness and still have good mental health, while someone without a diagnosed condition can go through a period of great mental distress.
Numbers that reveal the scope of the need
Our living conditions shape our mental health
Mental health does not stem solely from our internal experiences. It builds up or breaks down over the course of our daily lives depending on our environment.
Factors that support mental well-being:
- Safe and affordable housing that makes people feel secure
- A decent income that covers basic needs
- Access to education and learning opportunities
- Meaningful employment that gives people a sense of worth
- Green spaces and other places to take a break and unwind
- Support networks and a connected community
- Accessible services that are aligned with people’s real needs
Factors that weaken mental well-being:
- Poverty and economic insecurity
- Racism and discrimination
- Gender-based violence
- Immigration experiences characterized by instability
- Inherited trauma from colonial violence
Interrelated challenges and growing needs
In Greater Montreal, a number of intersecting issues—the housing crisis, rising homelessness, economic insecurity, and social isolation—have all contributed to a breakdown in mental health. Community agencies are getting more requests from both people living with mental health programs and their loved ones, who often provide important daily support and who themselves have significant needs.
The community sector is also under pressure. Chronic underfunding, difficult working conditions, and intensified needs have all taken a toll on the mental health of community workers, who are nevertheless essential in supporting individuals and communities.
The central role of community agencies
For decades, community agencies have been the backbone of mental health support. They provide spaces for peer support, offer help to family members, advocate for people’s rights, and provide approaches that go beyond medical care. They look at the full scope of people’s realities and get them to focus on their ability to make choices and regain control over their lives—and they do so without judgment or stigma.
Centraide of Greater Montreal concretely supports about twenty mental health agencies in these networks.
🤝 Beyond funding
Centraide also helps spread the word about these issues by highlighting how mental health is closely linked to living conditions. Mental health is not solely an individual phenomenon: it is built collectively through communities that are just, supportive, and supported. Building mental health therefore requires concrete actions to fight poverty, guarantee access to decent housing, reduce social isolation, support marginalized communities, and provide services that are accessible, respectful and human-centred.
Sources:
1. Mental Health Commission of Canada (2020). Making the Case for Investing in Mental Health in Canada. [PDF].
2. Mental Health Commission of Canada (n.d.). Children and Youth – What are we doing? [Webpage].
3. Institut de la statistique du Québec (ISQ) (2021). Idées suicidaires sérieuses et tentatives de suicide – Population âgée de 15 à 29 ans.[Webpage].
4. Statistics Canada (2022). Mental Health and Access to Care Survey (MHACS).[Webpage].
5. Chaire Jeunesse (2024). Santé mentale et jeunes issus de la protection de la jeunesse. [PDF].
6. Ministère de la Santé et des Services sociaux du Québec (2022). Portrait de l’itinérance visible au Québec. [PDF].
7. Statistics Canada (2019). Suicide rates among First Nations and Inuit in Canada. [Webpage].
1 out of 5 people receives our help.
5 out of 5 people benefit from it.
Let’s all lend a hand
Supporting a network of over 375 community agencies also means promoting an inclusive, poverty-free society.
