Key Facts on Mental Health

From the data collected during our national polling series, below is a snapshot of key facts learned through tracking mental health.

  • More than 1 in 2 people (52%) struggling with their mental health aren’t getting the help they need. This is just over half of the 15% of people who are either accessing mental health supports or feel they should be but are not accessing support (struggling).
    Poll 17, full report, page 31.

  • 1 in 8 Canadians have been experiencing high levels of anxiety. Those indicating feeling high anxiety was 7% just before the pandemic and 11% now. 1 in 4 Canadians will receive a lifetime diagnosis of anxiety.
    Poll 18, full report, page 9.

  • 15% of Canadians have accessed mental health services in the last year, an additional 6% believe they should but are not.
    Poll 18, full report, page 29.

  • 33% of employed Canadians are burned out.* In some professions, however, it is much higher (e.g., 66% of nurses, and 61% of the mental health workforce).**
    *
    Poll 14, full report, page 27; and **Psychological Health and Safety in Canadian Workplaces, page 20.

  • Of those who accessed mental health services, one third accessed through a provincial health system.
    Poll 14, full report, page 34.

  • We have noted higher negative mental health statistics for LGBTQ+ ,younger Canadians and health care professionals. 30% of Canadians who identify as LGBTQ+ have thought about suicide in the past year.
    Poll 14, full report, page 24.

If you’re interested in MHRC’s most current mental health data and would like to stay up-to-date on our work, we encourage you to sign up for our e-newsletter here.

MHRC would like to thank our partners for their support in this work: