What is "Trauma Informed" and why is it important?

Market research indicates that people are demanding more accessible and inclusive service providers, ranging from medical professionals to service providers and more. 

‘Trauma informed’ service providers are hard to find, but the demand for them is on the rise.

This website will provide a database of mental health care and health care providers that are flagged as being ‘trauma informed’- meaning they consider themselves and their services accessible and inclusive to anyone with mental health disorders, disabilities and chronic illness/pain. 

Through analyzing trends, it is optimistic to say that there is an increasing demand for trauma informed care. The conversation surrounding health is starting to become more encompassing of mental health; also, studies and research are beginning to show a direct link between how our physical self is impacted by our mental self, more specifically how trauma affects the body.

Service Providers are capable of pivoting their care into trauma informed care and treating the body while taking into consideration the mental and physical self. The website would encourage service providers to reconsider how accessible their businesses are and provide the opportunity to be identified as a ‘safe, inclusive and welcoming service’ for those in the mental health community.

•  1 in 5 Canadians will experience a mental health problem every year. (1)
• Mental Illness is the leading cause of disability in Canada. (2,3,4)
• The Mental Health Strategy for Canada recommends raising the proportion of
  health spending that is devoted to mental health to 9% by 2022 (5)
• The economic burden of mental illness in Canada is estimated at $51 billion per
  year. This includes health care costs, lost productivity, and reductions in
  health-related quality of life. (1,4)
• A small proportion of all health care patients account for a disproportionately
  large share of health care costs. Patients with high mental health costs incur over
  30% more costs than other high-cost patients. (6)
• A growing body of international evidence demonstrates that promotion,
  prevention, and early intervention initiatives show positive returns on investment. (7)

Sources:

1. Smetanin et al. (2011). The life and economic impact of major mental illnesses in Canada: 2011-2041. Prepared for the Mental Health Commission of Canada. Toronto: RiskAnalytica.
2. Government of Canada (2006). The human face of mental health and mental illness in Canada. Ottawa: Minister of Public Works and Government Services Canada.
3. Mental Health Commission of Canada (2014). Why investing in mental health will contribute to Canada’s economic prosperity and to the sustainability of our health care system. Retrieved from http://www.mentalhealthcommission.ca/English/node/742.
4. Lim et al. (2008). A new population-based measure of the burden of mental illness in Canada. Chronic Diseases in Canada, 28: 92-8.
5. Buckley et al. (2009). Psychiatric comorbidities and schizophrenia. Schizophrenia Bulletin, 35: 383-402.
6. De Oliveira et al. (2016). Patients with high mental health costs incur over 30% more costs than other
   high-cost patients. Health Affairs, 35: 36-43.
7. Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction and University of Victoria Canadian Institute for
   Substance Use Research (2018). Canadian Substance Use Costs and Harms 2007-2014.

Mental illness indirectly affects all Canadians at some time through a family member, friend or colleague. By age 40, about 50% of the population will have or have had a mental illness. Anxiety disorders affect over 5% of the population, causing mild to severe impairment. Suicide accounts for 24% of all deaths among 15-24 year olds and 16% among ages 25-44, making it one of the leading causes of death of both men and women. Canada’s youth suicide rate is the third largest in the industrialized world. 20% of Canadian youth are affected by a mental illness or disorder- the most disabling group of disorders worldwide. That is a staggering 3.2 million youth at risk. (Mental Health Commission of Canada (2013)