Mental health, substance use and treatment seeking in Canada and Australia: a cross-national comparison

Mental health and substance use disorders are the leading cause of disease burden in Australia and Canada, both alone and in co-occurrence. In recent years, the Australian federal government has actively promoted expanding both the quality and quantity of mental health services, including innovation in areas like early intervention in psychosis and digital technologies. In turn, Canada has made more limited progress, with the country facing an ongoing opioid crisis since 2016 and there yet to be a paradigm shift towards an integrated treatment approach for mental and substance use disorders. Cross-national comparisons of disorder prevalence and care are important to understand their similarities and differences, future trends, and develop meaningful ways to improve mental health systems and services with the specific contexts of each country. The aim of this project is to compare recent epidemiological data from the Australian National Study of Mental Health and Wellbeing and the Canadian Mental Health and Access to Care Survey (MHACS). This project will fill in gaps in mental health care using international perspectives from the participating institutions and identify lessons to be learned that can be applied in Canada and elsewhere, with a focus on the potential for e-mental health.

Faculty Supervisor:

Michael Krausz

Student:

Partner:

The University of Sydney

Discipline:

Life Sciences

Sector:

Education

University:

The University of British Columbia

Program: