Mental health and substance use during COVID-19 Summary report 6: Spotlight on 2SLGBTQ+ communities in Canada

The sixth report in this series focuses on the effects of COVID 19 on the 2SLGBTQ+ communities in Canada. The report includes a cross-section of findings taken across seven periods between October 2020 and September 2021.

The survey results show that COVID-19 has had a disproportionate effect on the substance use health and mental health of the 2SLGBTQ+ communities when compared with other respondents.

• About one in four (24%) 2SLGBTQ+ respondents reported excellent or very good mental health during the pandemic, compared with nearly half (43%) of other respondents.
• Almost half (46%) of 2SLGBTQ+ respondents reported moderate to severe anxiety symptoms, while just fewer than a quarter (22%) of other respondents reported feeling the same.
• About 30% of 2SLGBTQ+ respondents who consumed alcohol reported consuming more, compared with 20% of other respondents.
• About 20% of 2SLGBTQ+ respondents who used cannabis reported using more since the start of the pandemic, compared with 10% of other respondents.
• 2SLGBTQ+ respondents reported finances being a significant barrier to accessing mental health and substance use services, and overall reported facing more barriers than other respondents to accessing mental health services.
• 30% of all 2SLGBTQ+ respondents and 40% of 2SLBTQ+ youth respondents reported accessing virtual mental health services since the start of the pandemic; fewer report accessing in-person services.
• 2SLGBTQ+ ethno-racialized respondents were more likely to report thoughts of suicide, anxiety and depression symptoms, compared with other respondents.