FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
OTTAWA, June 5th, 2015 – The Canadian Alliance of Student Associations (CASA) is concerned by results from the Mental Health Commission of Canada’s (MHCC) first-ever comprehensive set of mental health indicators.
Youth and students at the post-secondary level are particularly susceptible to suffer from mental health issues. “These indicators give us a snapshot of student mental health in Canada and highlight areas where additional attention by Government is required”, said Erik Queenan, Board Chair of CASA. The organization is concerned about the following:
Youth and students at the post-secondary level are particularly susceptible to suffer from mental health issues. “These indicators give us a snapshot of student mental health in Canada and highlight areas where additional attention by Government is required”, said Erik Queenan, Board Chair of CASA. The organization is concerned about the following:
- Binge drinking as a leading cause of injury and death among students;
- Intentional self harm by students;
- Failure to dramatically reduce youth suicide in Canada over the last 10 years;
- Lack of mental health services and suicide prevention information across post-secondary institutions.
CASA is encouraged to see that 2/3 of students indicated that they would pursue help from a mental health professional. CASA continues to be a strong advocate for stigma reduction in mental health. “The federal government in collaboration with the provinces and institutions must come to together to assure adequate services are being offered on Canadian campuses”, added Queenan. “A student who is brave enough to seek help should not have to suffer in silence because of a lack of service at their institution”.
More information on student mental health can be found in CASA’s policy paper asking for federal intervention in implementing a mental health policy in post-secondary education. “We support and stand by the great work of the Commission. We hope that these indicators lead to concrete policy changes that will positively affect students and youth”, said Queenan.
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About CASA
Established in 1995, the Canadian Alliance of Student Associations (CASA) is a non-partisan, not-for-profit national student organization composed of 21 student associations representing 250,000 post-secondary students from coast to coast. CASA advocates for a Canadian post-secondary education system that is accessible, affordable, innovative, and of the highest quality.
FOR INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT
Matthew Rios, Government Relations and Communications Coordinator
Email: [email protected]
Office: 613-236-3457 ext. 221
Mobile: 902-300-2102