Mental disorders and access to mental health care

Using data from the 2022 Mental Health and Access to Care Survey, this article provides updated prevalence estimates for some of the most common mental disorders, including mood, anxiety, and substance use disorders. These results are compared to those from the previous 2012 and 2002  Canadian Community Health Survey – Mental Health cycles. The 2022 survey was collected from March to July 2022. This article also describes some key aspects of mental health care services in Canada. The analysis is focused on who Canadians turn to for mental health care, the role of  virtual care in mental health care, and the types of mental care where the unmet needs for care are the largest. • The percentage of Canadians aged 15 years and older who met the diagnostic criteria for a major depressive episode, bipolar disorder, and generalized anxiety disorder has increased in the past 10 years, whereas the prevalence of alcohol use disorders has decreased, and the prevalence of  other substance use disorders (including cannabis) has remained stable. • Youth (ages 15-24), especially women, were most likely to have met diagnostic criteria for a mood or anxiety disorder based on their symptoms in the 12 months before the survey. • The prevalence of mood, anxiety, and substance use disorders was generally lower among South Asian, Chinese, Filipino, and Black people in Canada when compared to non-racialized, non-Indigenous people, although there were some variations in the magnitude of the differences depending on the type of disorder. • About half of the people who met diagnostic criteria for a mood, anxiety, or substance use disorder talked to a health professional about their mental health in the 12 months before the survey. • Among those who met diagnostic criteria for a mood, anxiety, or substance use disorder in the 12 months before the survey, 1 in 3 reported unmet or partially met needs for mental health care services. • Unmet needs for counselling or psychotherapy were higher than unmet needs for medication or information -about mental health.