The number of people in Ontario who require mental health services is on the rise

Key Takeaways:

• According to a new survey, more people are seeking mental health help in Ontario now than at any other time during the COVID-19 pandemic.
• The poll, conducted between January 10 and 17, polled 1,001 Ontario adults and has a 3.1 percent margin of error.
• Around 65% of those polled said mental health resources are helpful, down from 77% at the start of COVID-19.

According to a new survey, more people in Ontario are seeking mental health help than at any other time during the COVID-19 pandemic.

As per a poll conducted by the Canadian Mental Health Association, 24% of respondents have sought help for mental health issues, up from 17% last winter and 9% almost two years ago.

According to Camille Quenneville, the association’s CEO, the survey results are concerning because they show that the mental health of those living in the region is not getting better.

Also read: Ontario COVID-19 hospitalizations are at their lowest point since January

“During this pandemic, we’ve conducted four polls since we wished to get a sense of how people are doing nearly 2 years in,” she said in a written statement.

“The numbers are trending in the wrong direction.”

The poll, conducted between January 10 and 17, polled 1,001 Ontario adults and has a margin of mistake of 3.1%.

In April 2020, July 2020, and February 2021, the Canadian Mental Health Association conducted 3 similar surveys earlier in the pandemic.

In the most recent poll, nearly half of respondents (48%) stated their mental health had deteriorated since the pandemic started, compared to 36% at the start of the pandemic.

Thirty-two percent of those polled said they suffer from high levels of stress, while 31% suffer from high levels of anxiety.

Accessing mental health care appears difficult, as 43% of survey respondents said it was difficult to get help, up from 37% at the beginning of the pandemic.

Around 65% of those polled said mental health resources are beneficial, down from 77% at the start of COVID-19.

“We’ll keep an eye on these trends because, as we all know, mental health is a journey, and people’s moods, as well as feelings, can shift as they return to normalcy,” Quenneville said.

The Canadian Press first published this report on February 7, 2022.

Source: CP24 News

Get Canada and Ontario’s top News, Market news, and other worldwide news only on Ontario Independent