Canadian Mental Health Care at a Glance
In recent years mental health has come to the forefront of our societal focus. Now more than ever, people are encouraged to talk abut how they are feeling rather than bottling up their emotions.
With this increase in public narrative about mental health -from schools, to the work places, to the front pages of magazines and newspapers- many have begun to reach out and seek help for what ails their mind.
According to the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, 20% of Canadians will experience a mental health problem at some point in their life, but less than a third of those affected will seek help. Many refuse to seek mental health care due to the stigma associated with seeing a therapist or councillor. Shame and embarrassment can sometimes be associated with therapy and many fear they will be judged.
Cost is another continual barrier between mental health care and those who need in. Therapy in Canada can start around $65 and can go well beyond $300 per session, with the average being around $150 per session.
While many insurance programs can assist with these costs, they cannot help individuals find an available therapist. The first obstacle individuals seeking help will encounter is waiting for a therapist who is available.
The Canadian institute for Health Information released data ranging from April 1, 2020 to March 31, 2021 which stated half of Canadians waited 22 days on average for their first therapy session while roughly 10 per cent of Canadians will wait as long as four months for their first session.
Additionally, individuals must find a therapist who has experience working with their specific needs. A therapist client relationship also needs to be one where communication is comfortable. This attribute can only be decided by meeting and talking, which will cost the client the same charge as every other appointment. This can be daunting to some as they may be cautious to spend money on a therapist they do not want to continuing seeing.
Among the most famous modes of mental health care in Canada and the United States has been BetterHelp.com. Advertised by countless podcasts and Youtube channels, BetterHelp connects individuals with therapists via the internet. Sessions are held over video calls, allowing for greater accessibility. BetterHelp has had over two million users since it was founded in 2013.
Unfortunately, BetterHelp has entered the crosshairs of public scrutiny after the company was charged for sharing user data pertaining to their interests and mental health.
In March of this year, the Federal Trade Commission issued an order banning BetterHelp from “sharing consumers’ health data, including sensitive information about mental health changes, for advertising.”
The order also determined the company should pay $7.8 million to consumers to settle the charge of having “revealed consumers’ sensitive data with third parties such as Facebook and Snapchat for advertising after promising to keep such data private.”
Accounts can be found in reviews stating questionable experiences with BetterHelp therapists -one of which claims a therapist using a 10-minute introduction to pitch their book, but the overall ratings and reviews suggest these are anomalous experiences.
The Impact of COVID-19
The importance of appropriate observation of one’s mental health has become even more important in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Internationally, rates of depression and anxiety increased substantially. In the United Kingdom rates of depression doubled from 2020 (10% of adults) to 2021 (21% of adults- Link)and in the United States rates of depression went from 8.5% prepandemic to 32.8% in 2021. Link
The COVID-19 pandemic had a major impact on the wellbeing of Canadians as well. In a 2022 survey published by the Angus Reid Institute, 54 per cent of Canadians reported their mental health had worsened since 2020. In that same period, 56% reported their sense of optimism had decreased noticeably while 41% answered their life overall had gotten worse.
The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health surveyed over 1,000 Canadian adults in 2022. Among those suffering the greatest impact of the post-COVID mental health crisis are people between 18 and 39 years old. 33.5 per cent of those surveyed between 18 and 39 reported increased anxiety, 29 per cent reported increased loneliness and nearly 28 per cent reported an increase in feelings of depression.
The report also highlighted that increases of depression, loneliness and anxiety increased most significantly among Canadian women. Overall, 24 per cent of those surveyed reported feeling lonely, compared to 19 per cent reported in 2021.