The annual economic cost of mental disorders and substance abuse in Ontario exceeds $34 billion.

Mental health

* Severe mental illness affects approximately 2.8% of our population.

* The annual cost of mental illness in Canada exceeds $15 billion.

* Schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and major depression are life threatening illnesses with severe and persistent symptoms.

* Untreated mental illness is the leading cause of disability and suicide.

* Up to 85% of those with serious mental illnesses are unemployed and many live in poverty.

* Mental illness begins early in life. Half of the lifetime cases begin by age 14 and three-quarters have begun by age 24.

* Untreated mental illness interrupts educational achievement and 50% of the children with emotional and behavioural disturbances drop out of school.

* Two out of three juveniles in the justice system have a serious mental health issue.

* The cost of a young person in contact with the law - including costs to the child welfare and young offender systems - is estimated to be at least $511,500 by the time the youth is 17.

* Mental health claims have overtaken heart disease as the fastest growing category of disability costs in Canada.

* Persons with mental illnesses who can not access a doctor use hospital ER services at a cost in excess of $1,000 per visit.

* 35% of visits to hospital emergency departments (mainly in Ontario) by homeless people were related to mental and behavioural disorders.

* An estimated 10 to 20% of the prison population and an estimated 40 to 50% of our homeless population has a mental illness, including up to 75% of homeless women.

* Long periods without treatment can lead to alcohol and substance use.

Alcohol and substance abuse

* 20% of the population is addicted to alcohol and/or drugs.

* Each day, four Canadians are killed and another 200 are seriously injured as a result of impaired driving.

* An estimated 86,000 hospitalizations occur in Canada every year as a direct result of alcohol related problems.

* Requests for drug treatment among Toronto youth increased 32% between 1999 and 2000.

* Alcohol and substance abuse are often associated with domestic abuse, crime and violence, including homicide and suicide.

* The average addict needs $200 per day to support his or her drug habit.

* Prenatal abuse of alcohol is the leading cause of birth defects including fetal alcohol syndrome.