Over half of Canadians say anxiety and depression seem to be epidemic in Canada.
The survey commissioned by the Canadian Mental Health Association found that 59 per cent of 18 to 34-year-olds consider anxiety and depression to be an epidemic in Canada, followed closely by addiction (56%) and ahead of physical illnesses such as cancer (50%), heart disease and stroke (34%), diabetes (31%) and HIV/AIDS (13%).
The survey is included with the release of the CMHA policy paper titled Mental Health in the Balance: Ending the Health Care Disparity in Canada. It asks for new legislation to address unmet mental health needs and bring mental health care into balance with physical health care.
Eighty-five per cent of Canadians say mental health services are among the most underfunded services in our health-care system — and the majority agree (86%) that the Government of Canada should fund mental health at the same level as physical health.
Despite recent unprecedented mental health funding commitments made by the federal government, over 1.6 million Canadians report unmet mental health care needs each year.
Up to 80 per cent of Canadians rely on their family physicians to meet their mental health care needs, with Canadians spending $950 million on counselling services each year — 30 per cent of it out of pocket.
"Our universal health-care system is a point of pride for Canadians," said Dr. Patrick Smith, national CEO, CMHA. "But the reality is, we don't have a universal health-care system, but a universal medical system that doesn't guarantee access to some of the most basic mental health services and supports."
"What we outline in our policy paper is that righting this balance is about more than just the balance sheet," said Dr. Smith. "The Mental Health Parity Act we are advocating for is not just about increasing funding for mental health services, but also improving coordination, treatment, research and access and making better choices about how best to spend health-care dollars effectively."
"Canadians are suffering from health conditions that are preventable or manageable with the right supports," said Dr. Smith. "By adopting and promoting a 'stepped-care approach' to mental health service delivery that matches people to the right services and supports to meet their needs, Canadians will have better access to the right care at the right time."
In addition to improving quality of life and health outcomes, mental health promotion, mental illness prevention and early intervention can reduce the burden on our health-care system. A recent study on the treatment of depression estimated that every dollar spent on publicly funded psychological services would save $2 for the health system.
To make sure that those who need services and supports get them, new legislation must also address stigma and discrimination—in the health-care system, amongst practitioners and at the individual level—and improve access for those who are marginalized.
"The system is ailing, but we have a treatment plan to nurture it back to health," said Dr. Smith. "When we improve service and supports for the one in five Canadians who will experience mental illness in any given year, we will see benefits in health outcomes, quality of life and wellbeing for all Canadians—the five in five—who have mental health."