The mental health of Canadians is worse? Can confirm

Author Elisha Dacey
Feeling disconnected? Try heading to a concert. (Canva/Supplied)

There are two reports that have been released in the past two days about the mental health of Canadians, and I can personally confirm most of it.

The Canadian Mental Health Association’s report calledย The State of Mental Health in Canada 2024, has sobering, if unsurprising, results.

You canย read the report for yourselfย (and I strongly encourage you to do so), but a few key highlights:

  • The mental health of Canadians is three times worse than before the COVID-19 pandemic.
  • No jurisdiction is spending enough on mental health.
  • Where you are in Canada matters when it comes to mental health treatment access.

Can confirm. I’ve been open about my own mental health struggles, and in my family, I can unequivocally state everyone’s mental health is worse, there aren’t enough resources and I’ve been damn lucky to be able to access mental health resources at all – even though I paid for them out-of-pocket. I know so many people who can’t.

The report does suggest numerous solutions, some easier than others. One solution is prioritizing and doubling spending on mental health in every province and territory to prevent other things, like addiction, crime and illness. Doable, with political will.

Another solution is to eliminate poverty. Not so easy.

But one solution they didn’t look at was highlighted in this poll funded byย CanadaHelps: Canadiansย who engage in arts and cultureย have better mental health, are less lonely and better embrace cultural diversity.

Can confirm. One of the best things for my mental health is my (shameless plug alert) cover band, where I go to belt out angry songs when I’m ticked off or sing sad ballads when I’m down.

As frustrating as the stats surrounding mental health in Canada are, I do believe we are making strides in this. The stigma around mental health is lessening. We are starting to (slowly) collect more data around the issues. And politicians are (very slowly) starting to pay attention and implement policy changes.

I’m hopeful that in a few years, I’ll be able to confirm an improvement.

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  • Elisha Dacey is a seasoned journalist with more than two decades of experience in the field. She has worked in various newsrooms across Canada, ranging from small-town papers to major outlets like CBC Manitoba and Global News. Dacey began her journalism career in Manitoba and has held roles such as Managing editor, senior producer and digital online journalist. Notably, she launched Metro Winnipeg, the cityโ€™s only free daily newspaper, which quickly became the second most-read paper in Winnipeg. Recently, Elisha Dacey joined Future of Good as a copy editor and is currently interim Managing Editor.

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