Facts on mental health and mental illnesses in Canada

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Mental health and mental illness are often used to mean the same thing but they’re different.

Mental health is similar physical health: it refers to a state of well-being. Our mental health is a product of our experiences, emotions, thoughts, memories, interactions with and feelings of connection to others, and our life circumstances. When we have good mental health, we’re better able to respond to life’s stresses.^[1]

Mental illnesses are changes in what someone thinks, says, feels, and/or does during significant distress and can make day-to-day functions difficult. Symptoms of mental illnesses may come and go and can show up in different ways for different people.^[2]

A mental illness diagnosis isn’t always a predictor of good or poor mental health. Someone without a mental illness can have poor mental health while someone with a mental illness can have excellent mental health.^[3]

Mental illnesses include:

mood disorders such as major depressive and bipolar disorder
anxiety disorders
schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders
personality disorders
eating disorders and
substance use disorders.

Problems with substance use may be a sign that someone has a substance use disorder, i.e., a mental illness.

Who’s affected?

Everyone needs to look after their mental health, and while everyone experiences mental health struggles, not everyone has a mental illness.

Mental illnesses affect people of all genders, ages, education, income levels, and cultures but inequality and injustice (racism, poverty, homelessness, discrimination, violence, etc.) contribute to poor mental health, mental illnesses, and/or symptoms of distress.^[4]

In any given year, 1 in 5 people in Canada are living with a mental illness.^[5]

By age 40, about half of Canada’s population will have or have had a mental illness,^[6] and in their lifetime:

14% of people in Canada will experience major depressive disorder.^[7]
13.3% of people in Canada will experience general anxiety disorder.^[8]
3.4% of people in Canada will experience bipolar disorder.^[9]
About 21.6% of Canadians (six million people) will experience a substance use disorder.^[10] This includes using alcohol, cannabis and other drugs.
Eating disorders affect about one million Canadians (between 0.3-1% of the population). They impact women at a rate ten times that of men and have the highest rate of mortality of any mental illness.^[11]

About 4,500 Canadians die by suicide every year in Canada; this is almost 12 suicides each day.^[12]

The suicide rate among men is three times higher than among women.
In Canada, suicide rates among Indigenous Peoples are disproportionate. Among First Nations, the rate is three times higher than the non-Indigenous population, and nine times higher among Inuit.^[13]

Girls and young women are three times more likely than men to harm themselves and be hospitalized due to self-harm^.[14]

How do mental illnesses affect youth?

When it comes to mental illnesses, youth is a critical period: most people living with a mental illness see their symptoms begin before age 18.^[15]

About 20% of Canadian youth aged 25 and under experience a mental illness.^[16]
15-20% of Canadians between the ages of 15-30 have experienced thoughts of suicide.^[17]
Suicide is the second leading cause of death among people aged 15-34.^[18]
Young women (15-24 years old) are more likely than any other demographic to have a mood or anxiety disorder.^[19]
In 2020, almost one quarter (23%) of hospitalizations of people aged 5-24 were for a mental illness.^[20]
Many youth struggle to access mental health care. Among youth needing care, 17% said their needs were only partly met or completely unmet.^[21]

What causes mental illnesses and substance use problems?

Personality and genetic, social and environmental factors affect mental and substance use health.^[22]

Life events (e.g., trauma) can give rise to mental health and substance use health problems. Mental and substance use health can get worse if the supports needed for recovery aren’t available or used.
With support and treatment, people with mental illnesses can thrive and recover.

Social and environmental factors play an important role in everyone’s mental health. Good mental health is supported by:

access to safe and affordable housing
education and meaningful employment
physical activity
leisure
the support of a community
a connection to land
a safe environment
freedom from violence
reliable access to health care and mental health services

What are the costs related to mental illnesses?

Without support, people with mental illnesses and substance use problems (along with their caregivers and families) can experience great suffering. A strong mental healthcare system with a range of programs and supports (e.g., housing and employment services) would help more people get the care they need to recover and thrive.

People with mental illnesses and substance use problems often face discrimination and stigma. People may also internalize stigma leading to feelings of shame and unworthiness. Stigma and discrimination affect relationships as well as access to employment, housing, health care, and other basic needs.

Canada’s lack of investment in mental health care come at an economic cost. Untreated mental illnesses and substance use problems add to that cost. The Mental Health Commission of Canada projects the cost of mental illnesses to Canada’s healthcare, social services, and income support systems will reach $291 billion by 2041.^[23]

Public mental health services in Canada are underfunded, and people face long wait times. In the absence of public services people must pay for services or go without. And while some people get health benefits through work, they often fall short too.

Canadians spend an estimated $950 million a year on psychologists in private practice. About a third of this is paid out-of-pocket; workplace and private health insurance cover the rest. ^[24]