The State of Mental Health Report

The Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) recently released their report on the state of mental health in Canada…and it doesn’t look good. They reported that on average the provinces/territories only spend about about 6.3% over their overall healthcare budgets on mental health, and the state of mental health is 3x worse than before the pandemic, and 2.5 million people can’t get the care they need.

Some major findings from their report:
1. Mental Health has been neglected under universal health care (surprise, surprise)
2. Depending on where you live in Canada, your level of care is impacted (in certain provinces there is a shortage in services and workers)
3. The drug crisis is out of control (8,049 died from opioid poisoning in Canada)
4. Our provinces are not spending what they should on mental health support (they should be spending 12% but are only spending 6.3%)
5. Mental health should be addressed like any other treatment or illness (e.g., paying for treatment like a psychiatrist)
6. Measurements and data are lacking in Canada in order to address these issues

And, of course, we should note that…

Inequities are even greater among racialized and Indigenous communities in Canada, and the rates of suicide, self-harm and harms due to substances are very high among First Nations and Inuit communities in the north.(CMHA)

To Read the Report, click on the below images