Mental Health And Health Care - 3259 Words

Mental Health Services in Rural Canada When looking at the rural areas of Canada, there is one particular area of health care that appears to be lacking – mental health care services. This can have many serious implications on the communities in which are being underserved, as well for the nurses and health care professionals providing the care for those with mental illness. Approximately 99.8 percent of Canada is considered to be a rural area (World Health Organization, 2009). Within this, there are over six million Canadians, approximately 20 percent, residing within these rural areas (Statistics Canada, 2006). The need for mental health care in rural areas of Canada is on the rise, yet there are still many barriers, identified in the†¦show more content†¦There have been many barriers identified throughout the literature that ultimately prevent rural Canadian’s from receiving and utilizing mental health services. The most commonly identified barrier is the geographical distance from services (Dyck Hardy, 2013; Happell, Gaskin, Hoey, Nizette Veach, 2013). Many of the services offered in urban areas of Canada are simply not available in rural parts of Canada (Hardy et al., 2011). This brings about more challenges, with the potential lack of transportation or lack of funds to pay for transportation to urban centers with necessary service s (Dyck Hardy, 2013). For those living with mental illness, this can cause unnecessary distress, and can potentially cause exacerbation of any illness from which one may be suffering (Panazzola Leipert, 2013). Unemployment and finances as barrier. In urban parts of Canada, many community mental health teams are responsible for assisting their clients find employment, however such services are very limited in rural Canada. It is been made clear that many individuals living with mental illness in rural areas are unemployed (Rebeiro Gruhl, 2012). According to Statistics Canada (2006), over 77 percent of those living with mental illness are without jobs. This is a very significant finding, as we know that employment is considered one of the social determinants of health (Rebeiro Gruhl, 2012). Being unemployed brings about many more challenges on top of living with mental