Mental health of youth in Canada in steep decline: report
A new report is raising the alarm over the mental health of Canada’s 4.6 million young people.
Mental Health Research Canada published A Generation at Risk: The State of Youth Mental Health in Canada late last month in partnership with Bell Let’s Talk and eight youth-serving organizations.
The report identified suicide as the second leading cause of death among young people in Canada, accounting for 21 per cent of fatalities in those aged 16 to 24.
It also found that 34 per cent of youth accessing mental health services have unmet needs at a time when rates of anxiety, depression, and suicidal ideation are increasing — an issue that is particularly pronounced among marginalized groups such as LGBTQ+ communities, newcomers, and Indigenous youth.
Data used in the report also showed that racialized youth were more likely to access community-based resources, such as those offered by non-profits, schools, or religious institutions —22 per cent compared to 15 per cent of non-racialized youth—and less likely to seek support from a publicly funded hospital or practitioner.
Youth with excessive personal screen time, more than six hours a day, were found to be two and a half times more likely to report high levels of anxiety and twice as likely to report high levels of depression.
The study also linked excessive screen time to severe symptoms of mental distress and suicidal ideation.
Positive change is possible, say the report’s authors, but requires a youth mental health system focused on three key pillars: prevention and early intervention, including upstream investments, quality services, and access to services.
“To advance mental health in Canada, we must collaborate,” said Akela Peoples, CEO of Mental Health Research Canada. “Without collaboration, there will always be duplication of efforts, inefficient use of resources and missed opportunities to strengthen and scale evidence-based solutions.”
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