A new Statistics Canada report provides detailed and standardized descriptions of the mental health conditions that most impact Canadians in terms of prevalence or disability. Each entry provides a description of the condition as well as an assessment of how it impacts an individual’s health status.
The Classification and Measurement System of Functional Health (CLAMES) is used to consider how each condition impacts on 11 dimensions of health status: pain/discomfort; physical functioning; emotional state; fatigue; memory and thinking; social relationships; anxiety; speech; hearing; vision and use of hands or fingers. Over 50 mental health conditions are assessed using the tool.
See “Health State Descriptions for Canadians: Mental Illnesses”, Statistics Canada, 2012, available via the Statistics Canada website at www.statscan.gc.ca.