Mental Health Statistics
This section provides general statistics on mental health in Canada as well as specific information about young adults.
It includes suggestions about finding and using statistics that best reflect the lived experience of your institution’s students, faculty, and staff.
These slides are available for use with this section of the presentation. For information about downloading presentation slides, see Introduction.
Mental Health Problems Are Common
Mental illness is common and in any given year, one in five people will experience a mental health problem or illness.[1] This means that if we count all of our friends, family, associates, people we work with, students in our classrooms, or even ourselves, we’re going to encounter a significant number of people who have a mental health problem or illness.
People in their late teens and early twenties are at the highest risk for mental illness; in these years, first episodes of psychiatric disorders like major depression are most likely to appear.[2] We know that mental health problems actually create more lost time from work and more lost pleasure in life than any physical health conditions.[3] Mental health problems can be hugely disabling.
According to the Mental Health Commission of Canada, only one in three people (and only one in four children or youth) who experience a mental health problem or illness say that they have sought and received services and treatment. This means a lot of people who need treatment and support are not seeking help.
The National College Health Assessment collects data related to health and health behaviours of post-secondary students across Canada and the U.S. In 2019, the study of Canadian students found that over the prior year at least one time:[4]
- 51% of students had felt so depressed that they found it difficult to function
- 69% had felt overwhelming anxiety
- 16% had seriously considered suicide
Pursuing a post-secondary education is often a demanding and stressful time. These stressors can play a role in a student’s mental well-being and contribute to increased risk for mental health problems.
Adaptations
You need to give participants only a few statistics to illustrate that mental health issues are prevalent. There may be statistics on student mental health at your institution that you can use. Check with counselling services, student services, or Indigenous student services to see if they have statistics specific to your student population.
As you select and present statistics, you might want to consider using:
- Statistics that show the long-term impacts of the pandemic on mental health. For example, this resource was created during the COVID-19 pandemic, but in the next few years, other issues such as economic concerns or intergenerational trauma caused by the pandemic could affect students’ mental health.
- Research that has been done in your community or at your institution.
- Statistics that show how global issues impact students’