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Statistics Canada Releases Data from the First National Community Mental Health Survey

Two of Every Three Persons With Mental Illnesses Not Receiving Care

Most national media services reported on the release of the initial results of the Statistics Canada 2002 Mental Health and Well-being Survey Sept. 3. Five mental health disorders were assessed by the survey: major depression, mania disorder, panic disorder, social phobia and agoraphobia, as well as alcohol and illicit drug dependence. The survey identified 2.6 million Canadians as suffering from these five disorders and that nearly 1.1 million of these are not getting mental health care or treatment. A Canadian Forces supplement was released Sept. 5.

Interviews with spokespersons from the Canadian Alliance on Mental Illness and Mental Health (CAMIMH) and its members, including Dr. Blake Woodside representing the CPA, were widely used in media reports. Using the data results to point to the size of the unmet health care service need, CAMIMH reminded decision-makers that Canada urgently needs a national action plan on mental illness that will set national service standards and target resources to those who need them. They also reinforced that the Federal Government has to take a larger leadership role in reducing the burden of mental illness.

With this media commentary, CAMIMH launched a six-week awareness raising strategy to raise the profile of mental illness issues this fall. Their efforts will culminate in a Parliamentary luncheon honouring champions of mental illness during Mental Illness Awareness Week (MIAW) Oct. 5–11.

The release of the general population survey results consisted of a summary of critical findings and some 15 data tables. The data file was also released into the public domain accessible to approved researchers. The report on the Canadian Community Health Survey: Mental Health and Well-being is available online at http://www.statcan.ca/Daily/English/030903/d030903a.htm

During the same week as the Statistics Canada release, the Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI) posted the latest report on hospital mental health services in Canada for 2000–2001 on its Web site. It provides comprehensive national hospital mental health data and has an interactive capability, allowing users to display indicator results at regional, provincial and national levels. For information on this see http://secure.cihi.ca/cihiweb/dispPage.jsp?cw_page=AR_364_E (research and reports folder and analytic reports subfolder on the CIHI website). DV/FK