Canadians' mental health worsened in the pandemic — and the system is at a crisis point

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The mental health of Canadians has deteriorated in the two years since the COVID-19 pandemic was declared, putting massive pressure on a mental health-care system that was already close to a breaking point. 

In a new survey conducted by the Angus Reid Institute in partnership with CBC, 54 per cent of Canadians said their mental health had worsened during the past two years — with women faring significantly worse than men.

Sixty per cent of women aged 18 to 34 said their mental health had worsened throughout the pandemic, and that number jumped to 63 per cent for women aged 35 to 54 over the past two years.

The situation is similarly dire from a global perspective, with new research from the World Health Organization finding that the first year of the pandemic increased worldwide levels of anxiety and depression by an astonishing 25 per cent.

"The information we have now about the impact of COVID-19 on the world's mental health is just the tip of the iceberg," WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said.

"This is a wake-up call to all countries to pay more attention to mental health and do a better job of supporting their populations' mental health."

Canada's mental health-care system has operated for decades as a partially privatized, fragmented system of hospitals, psychiatrists, psychologists, therapists and community groups paid for either through donations, government funding or directly out of pocket. 

"We live in this patchwork quilt system of mental health where some people, if you have a good employer with a benefits plan, then you might get some psychotherapy," Eaton said. 

"But a lot of people have suffered through the pandemic and haven't found any support .... Many are finding that they have to get on a wait-list in order to see a psychotherapist or get into a counselling program and that has been very hard on Canadians." 

Dr. Peter Liu, a clinical psychologist in Ottawa, said the system is unable to keep up with the mental health-care needs that have grown dramatically in the pandemic, and isn't sure how the industry will be able to fill the gaps in the future. 

"The demand for services has increased to levels I've never seen before and psychologists that I work with and collaborate with are all saying the same thing," he said. 

"It's actually too much for what psychologists can meet …. Even if you realize you need help — it's very difficult to find it."

Emily Jenkins, a co-researcher on the survey and associate professor of nursing at UBC, said while Canada has seen significant mental health challenges at the population level over the past two years, the pressure on the mental health-care system pre-dates COVID-19.