Natasha O’neal
Click here for updates on this story
Mississauga, Ontario. (CTV network) — Mental Health Research Canada (MHRC) February 2023 data show that Canadians’ mental well-being has plateaued since the summer of 2022.
While the availability of immunizations and the easing of social distancing measures improved some Canadians’ mental health, new MHRC data show that Canadians’ mental health has plateaued and It shows that it has deteriorated depending on the
Since the first survey in April 2020, the organization has asked 40,000 Canadians about their mental health. The latest poll (#15) was conducted by Pollara Strategic Insights from January 23rd to February 3rd and used a sample of 3,238 adult Canadians.
Overall, according to MHRC data, the majority of Canadians (81%) are satisfied, but their mental health has not improved for those who reported feeling anxious or depressed.
All 15 polls by the MHRC measure responses on the same key mental health indicators, including anxiety, depression, burnout, and levels of stress.
“Although mental health indicators have improved, several recent polls have found that they have not actually fallen to pre-pandemic levels,” said Western University Psychiatry. CTVNews.ca In an interview on March 1st.
MHRC Director Dozois is working with the MHRC to expand information on its impact on the mental health of Canadians.
From April 2020 to early summer 2022, when public health restrictions due to the COVID-19 pandemic were implemented, Canadians across the country reported spikes in symptoms of anxiety and depression.
“During the early days of COVID-19, when people were asked about their mental health, 5-7% said they had high or extreme anxiety. That has quadrupled to 20%. said Dozois.
Depression also increased dramatically, says Dozois. About 4-6% of Canadians say they experienced severe depression before the pandemic, but the MHRC notes that it increased to about 10% at the start of the pandemic.
Dozois said that when COVID-19 became a part of everyone’s life, it “caused” anxiety in many people.
“[The pandemic]has activated or activated people’s belief systems and thought, ‘Wow, we are threatened here.’ And whenever you feel threatened, there is anxiety.” He said.
Mental health in Canada is flat The survey has a margin of error of +/- 1.7%. The researchers collected data from all states, with varying margins of error, but no data from territories due to their small population size.
The survey asked respondents about their anxiety, depression levels, and feelings of burnout. This includes hopes and ways of coping with stress.
The survey found that high anxiety (10%) and depression (8%) levels remained constant.
“I often talk about it (anxiety) like it’s a fire alarm,” said Dzois, suggesting why anxiety persists even as the pandemic threat recedes. , it will sound just as loud whether there is an actual fire there or not…so the same objective threat may not be there, but if there is a perception of threat , our bodies kick in. Turn off false responses.
The survey found that approximately 1 in 7 Canadians are likely to have moderate to severe symptoms of anxiety and 1 in 5 may have symptoms of severe to moderate depression. I found it to be highly
Using two clinical screeners for anxiety and depression, the researchers were able to determine the number of Canadians likely to be experiencing symptoms of anxiety (14%) and depression (11%). is ready.
About 24% of participants reported burnout, and about 14% of those said they were having trouble coping with stress. The two metrics remain unchanged from his previous survey, which MHRC collected in November 2022.
The latest MHRC also shows that the number of Canadians accessing mental health services will increase in 2022.
Polls show that fewer people have access to publicly funded psychologists (-8%), psychotherapists (-4%), online services (-8%) and text-based support (-9%) is shown.
Instead, more people (+19%) are using mental health support provided by their primary care physicians and health services.
For privately funded services, surveys show fewer people see a psychologist (-3%) and psychotherapist (-4%), and use a counselor or social worker (+12%) You can see that there are many people.
Causes of poor mental health Among Canadians accessing care, the reasons reported to MHRC for poor mental health are primarily related to the economy and the recession outlook.
A survey found that half of Canadians say inflation is not having a negative impact on their lives. But his mental health in 50% of respondents who reported being affected by inflation was far worse.
Respondents stressed by inflation and worried about financial insecurity reported higher levels of anxiety (33%), depression (32%), and a diagnosis of mood disorders (14%) post-pandemic. reporting.
They also had higher levels of suicidal ideation (31%), alcohol (23%), or cannabis dependence (22%) and were unable to cope with stress (30%).
“I think you’re transposing one problem for another,” Dozois says.
Bill payments and food insecurity (36%) have stabilized since summer 2022 (poll #13), and the number of people concerned about their ability to pay for housing has increased (20%).
Dozois says certain segments of the population are disproportionately affected.
“For example, we know that parents, especially women with children under the age of 9, experience more anxiety and depression than those who are unemployed and members of the LGBTQ2S+ community[as well]. .”
Among surveyed Canadians, racialized Canadians (13%) and members of the LGBTQ2S+ community (16%) reported higher levels of anxiety and experienced higher levels of depression. were also more likely to report that they were
Respondents aged 18-35 (13%), students (15%), and low-income earners (15%) were more likely to report high levels of anxiety.
However, there has been a slight improvement since July, with fewer Canadians now fearing losing their jobs (39%).
Where to go from here Despite some indications that mental health has improved among many Canadians, Dozois remains concerned.
“The proportion of vulnerable people is small,” said Dozois. “That sector was vulnerable before COVID. I think COVID exacerbated the problem and made things worse.”
MHRC data shows that one-third of Canadians receive help through publicly funded agencies, which have long waiting lists and are more likely to have access to treatment and support. Dozois wants to make it easy to use.
“We need to put mental health front and center in the minds of Canadians and provincial and federal governments,” he said. We need an investment.”
With decades of experience in psychology and psychiatry, Dozois wants to see big changes.
“I think mental health care has been sidelined for a really long time…[it’s]called the orphan of health care, which is a sad statement,” he said. I think there is a lot more work to be done to make evidence-based practice available in Canada.”
Note: This content is subject to a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you cannot use it on any platform.
