One in six Canadians said they required mental-health care in last year: Statscan

DAVID ANDREATTA

The Globe and Mail

Published Wednesday, Sep. 18 2013, 9:50 AM EDT

Last updated Thursday, Sep. 19 2013, 9:07 AM EDT

One in six Canadians believe they needed mental health care in the past year, yet a third of them did not get adequate help, according to a Statistics Canada report.

The report, released Wednesday, was the first of its kind and one that mental health experts say sheds light on the gap between supply and demand for services.Its findings were based on data culled from the agency’s 2012 Canadian Community Health Survey, which polled more than 25,000 people over the age of 15.

The agency’s last mental health poll was in 2002. The survey at that time, however, measured only the prevalence of select mental health disorders and not individuals’ perceptions of whether they needed help.

Paul Kurdyak, a clinical psychiatrist and director of health systems research at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health in Toronto, said the findings offered a fresh perspective.

“The perception of needing help is something that needs to be given some importance,” Dr. Kurdyak said. “People don’t seek help based on whether they meet some criteria [for a mental disorder]; they seek help based on whether they think they need it. That is a relevant shift.” For more, click here.