Year: 2023 Source: Ottawa, ON: Author. 2021. 8 p. SIEC No: 20231317
Throughout the pandemic, various public health measures have been implemented across the country, impacting employment, schooling, family relationships and leisure. For some individuals, these measures, in  combination with fears associated with the risks stemming from COVID-19, have contributed to feelings of greater stress, anxiety and loneliness, which in turn, may have an impact on overall mental health and  perceived mental health care needs. Health care delivery changed within most jurisdictions during the pandemic, including shifts in the delivery of in-person services and greater reliance on care provided virtually or by telephone. These mitigation strategies to contain the spread of COVID-19 and changes to the availability and accessibility of health care may have had various effects on Canadians’ mental health and the care they received. After a brief pause respecting lock downs and public health, the Canadian Community Health Survey (CCHS) resumed collection in September 2020 with telephone surveys only. The ‘Methodology’ section  highlights the data validation undertaken to better understand the impacts of this methodology change. This article examines CCHS data on self-perceived mental health and mental health care needs before the  pandemic (October to December 2019) and during the second wave of the pandemic in the fall of 2020 (September to December 2020).