About 2.5 million people — nearly the populations of Manitoba and Saskatchewan combined — aren't getting adequate care for their mental health, according to a new report. The Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA), which released the report on Tuesday, called it a map of the landscape of mental health, addictions and substance use in the country.
"We are not doing well," said Sarah Kennell, the group's national director of public policy, in an interview. "For many Canadians, mental health is in fact grim." The report looked at 24 measures, from how much is being spent on care, to suicide rates and levels of discrimination against people with mental health concerns, with breakdowns by province and territory, where available.
On average, provinces and territories spend about 6.3 per cent of their overall health-care budgets on mental health, the report says, roughly half the 12 per cent that CMHA recommends. That's a fraction compared to a country like France, which also has a universal system and spends 15 per cent on mental health care.
Canada's figure has decreased over time, and hasn't kept pace with other health spending, said Dr. Kwame McKenzie, a psychiatrist and CEO of Toronto's Wellesley Institute, which researches public health issues. He was not involved in the CMHA report.
"That really surprised me. I thought we were doing better than we really are." 'You're on your own' after prescription Leanne Minichillo recalls how difficult it was to get mental health ca.