Poll: One-third of Canadians struggling with mental health, 23% are depressed

Results of a new survey suggest pandemic fatigue is increasing during the Omicron wave of the pandemic and is taking its toll on Canadians mental health.

The Angus Reid poll finds more than one-third of Canadians say they are dealing with mental health issues in recent weeks, with 23 per cent of respondents saying they are depressed.

In November, before Omicron became the dominant variant, one-in-four respondents had said they were struggling with their mental health.

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Nearly half of Canadians say they’ve been feeling fatigued, 40 per cent say they’ve been frustrated and 37 per cent say they are feeling anxious.

Seven per cent responded they are “barely getting by” when it comes to dealing with the pandemic. That number is more than double at any point since the fall of 2020.

Half of respondents also said they are exposed to depression and anxiety from someone in their lives and over one-third say it is a major issue within their social circle. Half of respondents say alcohol abuse is a problem among their social circle and three-in-ten say drug abuse is a prevalent issue.

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Younger Canadians appear to be disproportionately affected by suffering mental health. Approximately half of respondents between 18 and 34 years of age responded feeling ‘not good or ‘terrible.’ That compares to only 21 per cent of men and 28 per cent of women over the age of 55.

Nearly a third of Canadians, 31 per cent, say someone in their household has had an appointment with a mental health professional in the last year. This number is cut in half for individuals over the age of 55.

Men over 55 are the least likely to speak to friends and family about their mental health. Women between 18 and 54 are the most likely to do so, but still less than half say it is a normal part of their daily lives.

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The poll also found that people in Ontario, Saskatchewan and Manitoba are the most likely to have been dealing with poor pandemic related mental health in recent weeks. At least 30 per cent of people in all provinces responded to feeling ‘not good’ or terrible.’

Another poll from earlier this month found Canadians were reporting more stress and anxiety recently than they have at any point in the pandemic, with financial pressures topping the concerns.

The survey from Bromwich + Smith found that 48 percent of Canadians say the uncertainty they are facing in the first days of 2022 is weighing more heavily on them than during the initial lockdowns in March of 2020. The number one stressor, reported by 82 per cent of those surveyed, was inflation and an increase in the cost of living.

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With files from Tarnjit Parmar