Mental health researchers have a puzzle to solve.
The suicide rate among rural people is higher than for city dwellers even though the reported rates of mental illness are the same.
Mary-Pat Dressler, who delivered that information at a rural health workshop, can’t explain it.
“There’s gaps in the data so there may be underreporting (of mental illness) in rural areas…. I can’t say,” said Dressler of the Public Health Agency of Canada.
Those most at risk of suicide are teenagers and young people and those older than 65, she said.
Studies show that one in five Canadians will experience at least one incidence of mental illness in their lives. The impact of mental disorders worldwide is greater than for all cancers combined, Dressler said.
