More than half of Canadian youth find mental health services ‘not easy to access’: report
Global News
The new data would able to help policy-markers understand where more services are needed and the different issues people encountered when trying to access mental health services.
More than half of Canadian children and youth who accessed mental health services during the past six months said they were not easily obtainable, according to a study published by the Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI) on Thursday.
CIHI talked to 4,000 people across Canada based on an online survey using social media recruitment and found that in 2022, three out of five children and youth aged 12 to 24 with self-reported early needs accessed mental health and substance use services.
In general, males are less likely to ask for help when experiencing mental health or substance use issues and access fewer services in general, which the new data reflects, said Seanna McMartin, program lead at the CIHI.
About half of boys and young men were able to access early mental health intervention services compared to more than 60 per cent of their female counterparts, and 80 per cent of transgender and non-binary children and youth, the data shows.
McMartin told Global News that the new data can provide policymakers with information to understand where more services are needed, and the different issues people encountered when trying to access mental health services.
“These indicators will tell a clear story about access to care across the country,” said McMartin. “They can help to identify where there are gaps in services to improve care at the front lines and to better meet the needs of patients and their families.”
The study also found that only a small proportion of transgender or nonbinary individuals; people who identified as gay, lesbian or another sexual orientation; individuals with less than high school education; and individuals with lower income families say that they have the necessary support to navigate the system.
McMartin said the pandemic could be one of the reasons causing these individuals to face more barriers, such as changes to service delivery and financial challenges.