One in four in Canada feel burned out, and just a few turn to a therapist
Forty-six percent of people in Canada say the cost of living is negatively affecting their mental health, and 52 percent of those who accessed mental health or substance-use support report ending care earlier than planned or needed.
Findings from the 29th wave of Understanding the Mental Health of Canadians, by Mental Health Research Canada (MHRC), with data collection by Pollara Strategic Insights, show that 37 percent of respondents cite difficulty fully paying household bills and 35 percent cite difficulty affording or maintaining stable housing.
Forty-four percent say global political events negatively affect their mental health and 37 percent say the same about climate change.
Women report negative mental health impacts from the cost of living at 51 percent versus 41 percent of men, rising to 63 percent among women aged 25 to 34.
Akela Peoples, chief executive officer of MHRC, said in the release that mental health is shaped by more than what happens inside the health system.
She said people are managing financial pressure and searching for support that works for them, and the findings show a need to look at "the whole picture."
Fifteen percent of respondents accessed mental health support in the past year and another 6 percent say they needed support but did not access it, the report states.
Among those who accessed care, 65 percent say support met most or all of their needs and 29 percent say their needs were fully met.
That falls to 14 percent among people with severe anxiety symptoms and 17 percent among those with moderately severe-to-severe depression symptoms, the same populations where employers are spending more on psychology claims than plan design has kept pace with.
Early disengagement reaches 72 percent among people with severe anxiety symptoms and 74 percent among those with moderately severe-to-severe depression symptoms.
The leading reasons respondents gave were not seeing real-world progress at 16 percent, not feeling understood or respected at 12 percent, and unclear goals or expectations at 11 percent.
Sixty-four percent of those aged 16 to 24 and 67 percent of those aged 25 to 34 ended care early, compared with 36 percent of those aged 55 and older.
Men ended care early at 58 percent, versus 47 percent of women.
Seventy-five percent of people showing signs of alcohol dependence and 78 percent of those showing signs of cannabis dependence report a mood-disorder diagnosis.
Twenty-eight percent and 25 percent respectively needed support but did not access it, against 6 percent of the rest of the population.
Among those who did access support, 84 percent and 79 percent ended care early, a disengagement pattern that sits behind figures showing mental health now drives 40 percent of new long-term disability claims.
Twenty-five percent of respondents feel exhausted or burned out always or most of the time, at 29 percent among women and 21 percent among men.
Burnout runs at 33 percent among those aged 16 to 24 and 25 to 34, 31 percent among those aged 35 to 54, and 14 percent among those aged 55 and older.
Eleven percent see a counsellor, therapist or other mental health professional as a coping strategy, while 43 percent keep busy or push through on their own and 21 percent report at least one potentially harmful coping behaviour.
