Monitoring the mental health of Canadians

The COVID-19 pandemic had a great impact on the mental health of Canadians. Surprisingly, as of April 2022, self-rated levels of anxiety and depression were comparable to the ones observed during the worst periods of the pandemic, according to data collected by MHRC. Therefore, it is important that we continue to monitor the mental health needs and strengths of the general population in Canada. The goal of this project is to establish population-based mental health metrics within a long-term mental health surveillance system to monitor the mental health needs of the population and to identify indicators critical for expanding service delivery in Canada. In addition to risk factors of symptoms of anxiety, depression and psychological distress, this project will explore substance use, post-traumatic stress disorders, social determinants of mental health, and house and food insecurity, which have not been a focus of prior MHRC analytics and reporting. Moreover, we will conduct a detailed analysis of the use of mental health services and initiate qualitative surveys to better understand the impact of the pandemic among equity-deserving populations. Data collection will be conducted on an ongoing basis by MHRC through online surveys every three months for the next three years.

Faculty Supervisor:

Chris Perlman

Student:

Partner:

Mental Health Research Canada

Discipline:

Life Sciences

Sector:

Other services (except public administration); Professional, scientific and technical services

University:

University of Waterloo

Program: