A survey commissioned by the Canadian Medical Association has found that only one in five Canadians would socialize with someone struggling with a substance abuse problem, Canwest News Service reported Aug. 18.

In addition, the online survey of 2,024 residents found that fewer than half consider alcohol and drug addiction to be a mental illness. A similar number said in a separate response that mental illness isn't always real and is sometimes used as an excuse for bad behavior, even though 15 percent of the group surveyed acknowledged that they had received a diagnosis of depression themselves.

The opinions expressed in the survey regarding addiction reflect "an almost religious judgment of people involved with alcohol or drugs as sinners," said David S. Goldbloom, M.D., senior medical adviser in education and public affairs at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health in Toronto.

While only one in five Canadians surveyed said they would socialize with someone with a substance use problem, about half said they would socialize with or marry someone with a mental illness. But one in four respondents said they were afraid to be around someone with a serious mental illness.

Survey results were released at the Canadian Medical Association's annual meeting. The association's president, Brian Day, M.D., said in a statement that the survey "shines a harsh, and frankly unflattering light on the attitudes we Canadians have concerning mental health."