The Canadian Mental Health Association’s (CMHA) most recent report on the state of mental health care in Canada has turned up results that they describe as ‘alarming’.
In a first-of-its-kind report titled The State of Mental Health in Canada 2024, the CMHA looked at the nation’s mental health system on a province-by-province basis and shared their key statistics the report uncovered.
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On average, provinces and territories are only spending 6.3% of their overall health budgets on mental health. They should be spending 12%*.
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2.5 million people with mental health needs in Canada reported that they weren’t getting adequate care. That’s about equal to the population of Manitoba and Saskatchewan combined.
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Canadians report having "poor" or "fair" mental health three times more often than before the pandemic (26% in 2021 compared to 8.9% in 2019).
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An alarming 38% of Indigenous Peoples reported their mental health was “poor” or “fair.
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Fifty-seven percent (57%) of young people (aged 18-24) who had early signs of a mental illness said that cost was an obstacle to getting mental health services.
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Only 50% of people with mental health disabilities are employed and a significant number who aren’t, depend on income supports that keep them in poverty
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Canada is failing to collect key information about the mental health system and population mental health, while existing data is variable in quality and coverage across the country.
*The 12 per cent of spending number comes from the World Health Organization’s recommendation for spending targets.
The numbers above are the CMHA’s takeaway from the report on a national scale, so we spoke with Rebecca Rackow, Assistant Executive Director of the CMHA Saskatchewan Division to see how Saskatchewan is faring compared to the other provinces.
“In some ways Saskatchewan is doing very well, when you look at the percentage of provincial health budget spent on mental health and addictions, the average is lower than Saskatchewan. This wasn't always the case,” explained Rackow.
“We used to have the lowest percentage not that long ago, and now we have one of the higher percentages at a little over seven per cent (7.5 per cent) of our health budget is used on mental health and addiction spending. So that's actually a little bit above the average and that's nice to see.”
She indicated that the province has made some good progress with several mental health initiatives, highlighting the Mental Health and Addictions Action Plan specifically – which aims to create 500 new addictions treatment spaces and a central intake system to make care more accessible and responsive.
One of the mental health treatment areas that the CMHA notes Saskatchewan is lagging behind the nation in is the retention and hiring of psychiatrists. Nationally, the number of psychiatrists hovers around the 13 per 100,000 people mark, with our province having only seven per 100,000.
“What that means in the real world and not in numbers is that there will be longer wait times for people to get treatments for mental health issues and mental illnesses in Saskatchewan.” said Rackow.
“The other thing that was noted that we are behind other provinces in is a full spectrum of addiction treatments. While Saskatchewan concentrates almost primarily on abstinence focused approaches, these other provinces have almost all accepted some harm reduction initiatives or safe injection sites that are funded through the government.”
Rackow acknowledged the work the Government of Saskatchewan has been doing to improve the hiring and retention of medical professionals of all disciplines.
“I know that that's been something that's been on their radar for a while now and they've been really working at that. This is really about ensuring that the psychiatrists are also considered those medical personnel that we have to bring on board and be a part of Saskatchewan and retain.”
Aside from retention and hiring, Rackow pointed to the time spent on waitlists for receiving mental health and addictions care and the cost to the individual as some of the biggest hurdles faced by the province.
“Some of the things that we've noticed here in the province are those waitlists, but also we've noticed across the nation that's when it comes to counseling or psychological assistance, not only the psychiatric stuff, but rather the stuff in the community that people need to address, people's issues and stuff early on and those sorts of things.”
“A lot of that is for a fee. It's not covered through our government or provincial insurance, and that's across the board. So, when you look at some of those treatments, you have people who have mental illness or mental health issues or injuries that prevents people from being able to have gainful employment at that time when things are happening. It's even more of a burden of expenses on folks who aren't having an income to have to be able to pay for services for mental health where other illnesses don't have that same issue.”
Although there is room for improvement for mental health support and treatment in the province, Rackow reminds people that the services are out there and can be accessed if needed.
“One of the best places to start really is a family doctor. A family doctor can look at and prescribe initial treatment, we don't have many people with specific family doctors that may be difficult to do, but you can also refer to a mental health clinic in your area. You can self-refer and ask for help.”
“That's a good way to start. It all depends on what your issues are. If it's thoughts of suicide that are the issue. If you call 988, you will have someone, a human, answering your phone and helping you out with how to get help.”
She shared this message to those who may be hit hard by the sudden onset of cold wintery conditions.
“Sometimes it's harder to get out and do things to maintain your self-care and reduce isolation. So, right about now is a good time to start thinking of some winter activities that you can do so that you aren't isolated in the wintertime because that has negative effects on your mental health.”
If you or someone you know is seeking help with mental health or addictions visit the Canadian Mental Health Association’s website or the Saskatchewan Government directory to find links to resources and supports in your area.