Canadians demand better mental health services
The poll results show massive dissatisfaction.
A survey by the Canadian Alliance on Mental Illness and Mental Health (CAMIMH) has revealed Canadians' dissatisfaction with mental health services. More than 3,000 Canadian adults participated in the survey between November 1 and November 16, 2023.
According to the results, 90% of respondents consider timely access to mental health care important, 83% insist on the involvement of more specialists in this field, and 74% emphasize the importance of access to medical services for substance use. Also, 72% of the respondents consider it necessary to educate health care providers on substance abuse issues.
However, the grades given to public health services by the respondents were very low: for mental health — "F", for substance use control — "D". They were rated according to four criteria: access, reliability, satisfaction and effectiveness.
CAMIMH emphasizes that Canadian mental health costs are disproportionately low compared to other developed countries and calls for sustained funding and systemic innovation from the federal government. The Alliance also calls for new legislation that equates the importance of mental and physical health and emphasizes the need to provide critical changes for timely access to health services.
