One of the key findings from the Mental Health Research Canada (MHRC) Report – Unsupported Needs: Access to Mental Health and Substance Use Services by Canadians with Severe and Complex Challenges (Jan 2025) is that Canadians who are younger, lower income, or identify as 2SLGBTQIA+ were more likely to report severe mental health symptoms (anxiety, depression) or harmful substance use behaviours (alcohol, cannabis).
Understanding the complex relationship between the severity of mental health or substance use challenges and access to supports is essential for evaluating current mental health care practices and informing future investments in Canada.
The information featured in this Mental Health Research Canada (MHRC) report represents 14,053 Canadians 16 years and older that answered questions about their mental health, collected between July 2022 and May 2024, for Polls 13 to 20 of MHRC’s Canada wide online survey…