Definitions

Diversity

Diversity captures the differences that exist in all of us. People can be diverse in a number of ways, for example their gender, race, ethnicity, religion, income, sexual orientation, ability/disability.

Mental Illness

A pattern of thoughts, feelings or behaviours that make it challenging for a person to function in the ways that are expected of them (for example, their ability function in work, relationships and school). There are a number of different types of mental illness and symptoms can range from mild to severe.

Signs and symptoms suggesting the presence of mental illness include: suicidal behaviour, illicit drug use, anger management issues, risky sexual behaviour, risk-taking behaviour and troubled eating.

Examples of Mental Illnesses (adapted from http://www.cmha.ca and http://www.camh.net)

Mood Disorders: A group of illnesses in which the major problem is mood regulation. Moods may be too low (depression), too high (mania), or a combination of both highs and lows (bipolar disorder).

Some examples of mood disorders are

• Bipolar disorder: A mood disorder characterized by periods of mania/hyper moods and depressive episodes. It is sometimes referred to as manic depression.
• Depression: is a mood disorder represented by feelings of sadness, loneliness, despair, low self-esteem, withdrawal from interpersonal contact with others, and symptoms such as difficulty sleeping and a decreased appetite.

Anxiety Disorders: People suffering from an anxiety disorder are subject to intense, long-standing feelings of fright and distress for no obvious reason. The condition turns their life into a continuous journey of unease and fear and can interfere with their relationships with family, friends and colleagues.

Some examples of anxiety disorders are

• Panic Disorder: is expressed in panic attacks which occur without warning, accompanied by sudden feelings of terror. Physically, an attack may cause chest pain, heart palpitations, shortness of breath, dizziness, stomach pain, feelings of unreality and fear of dying.
• Phobias: Phobias are divided into two categories: social phobia, which involves fear of social situations, and specific phobias, such as fear of flying, blood and heights.
• Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder: This is a condition in which people suffer from persistent unwanted thoughts (obsessions) and / or rituals (compulsions) which they find impossible to control.
• Generalized Anxiety Disorder: Characterized by repeated, exaggerated worry about routine life events and activities, this disorder lasts at least six months, during which time the person is affected by extreme worry more days than not. The individual anticipates the worst, even if others would say they have no reason to expect it. Physical symptoms can include nausea, trembling fatigue, muscle tension, or headaches.
• Schizophrenia: Schizophrenia is characterized by delusions (having a different version of reality) and hallucinations (hearing or seeing things other people do not see). These disturbances in thinking can lead to withdrawal from social activity.

Eating Disorders: For people with an eating disorder, their weight is the prime focus of their life. There is an emphasis on obtaining perfection. Their lives are completely preoccupied with calories, grams of fat, exercise and weight.

Some examples of eating disorders are

• Bulimia nervosa: frequent fluctuations in weight, due to periods of uncontrollable binge eating, followed by purging (e.g. vomiting, taking laxatives).
• Anorexia nervosa: severe weight loss due to extreme food reduction. Individuals with anorexia usually diet to extremes and often couple this with excessive exercise.

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder: Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, or PTSD as it is often called, is caused by a traumatic event, usually one that involves death, potential death or serious injury to either oneself or to others.

Addictions: Addiction can be thought of as a "dependence". Not everybody who uses drugs or alcohol has an addiction; using these substances becomes an addiction when people begin to lose control over how often they use these substances, and/or there begins to be harmful consequences because of how much they use them.

There are two kinds of substance dependence, psychological dependence (which occurs when a person feels they need drugs or alcohol to function or feel comfortable) and physical dependence (which occurs when a person's body has adapted to the presence of a drug.)

Homelessness

A person without a home who lives on the street or in a shelter.

The United Nations has broadened this definition to include individuals who don't have access to a shelter that meets important human needs (e.g. we all should have access to a house that is sanitary and safe and protects us from health hazards, bad weather, etc.)

Type of Homelessness (Adapted from the Government of Canada's website)

Chronically homeless: people who constantly are living on the streets.

Cyclically homeless: people who lose their housing because of changes in their situation, (e.g. job, a move, a prison term or a hospital stay) and people who often end up needing to use safehouses (e.g. women who are victims of family violence, runaway youths, people recently released from a hospital).

Temporarily homeless: people who are without housing for a relatively short period of time (e.g. lost their house in a fire).

For more information on housing in Canada, visit http://www.cmhc.ca