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What actually causes mental health problems?

A Kelowna psychologist believes most Canadians are misinformed.

Two years ago, there were 47 million prescriptions for anti-depressant pills filled in Canada, says Dr. Eric Kuelker. That's enough for every man, woman and child in the country – as well as every dog and cat.

But are they taking these pills from a false belief? Kuelker believes so.

One common medication for depression results in twice as many people relapsing back into depression, compared to if they received a placebo. The treatment ends up making people worse than if they had nothing, he claims.

“The same factor kept on coming up across all areas of mental health. Massive studies in the U.S., Canada, and 22 other countries pointed to the same core cause,” he said.

That factor is psychological injury from traumatic or stressful events.

“If people know what causes mental health problems, then they can take control over their own lives” Kuelker said. “The public knows what has the biggest influence on our physical health. They know that exercise, diet, non-smoking, and modest use of alcohol will have a very positive effect on their physical health. But there are so many myths about what causes mental health problems that they do not know what to do.”

Kuelker is giving a free talk on the subject, Monday, 7 p.m. at the downtown Kelowna branch of Okanagan Regional Library, at which he will describe the three types of events that can cause such trauma and their treatments.

“Knowledge is power,” he said.