Health Reports, December 2014
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Released: 2014-12-17
Professional and informal mental health support reported by Canadians aged 15 to 24
According to results from the 2012 Canadian Community Health Survey – Mental Health, 12% of Canadians aged 15 to 24 reported that, in the previous year, they had seen or talked on the telephone to a health professional about problems with their emotions, mental health, or use of alcohol or drugs. More than twice as many (27%) had consulted informal sources including friends and family about such problems.
Percentages were higher among individuals with mental health or substance disorders. Half of young Canadians with mental health conditions, such as depression or generalized anxiety disorder, reported using professional services and 67% contacted informal sources. Among those with a substance disorder, 26% reported using professional services and 50% consulted informal sources.
The presence of chronic physical conditions was also associated with seeking professional and informal support for emotional, mental health or substance use problems. For example, 29% of young Canadians with two chronic conditions contacted a health professional and 37% sought informal support.
Individuals with multiple risk factors were more likely to seek professional and informal support. For example, 60% of individuals with a mental health condition and a chronic health condition reported seeking professional support for problems with their emotions, mental health, or use of alcohol or drugs, compared with 35% of individuals with a mental health condition only and 12% of individuals with a chronic condition only.
Many young Canadians sought help from multiple sources, with just over 9% having reported seeking both professional and informal support for problems with their emotions, mental health, or use of alcohol or drugs. However, 3% used professional services only, and 17%, informal support only.
A general practitioner or family doctor was the most frequently consulted health professional, reported by 6% of 15- to 24-year-olds, while friends (20%) and family members (14%) were the informal sources most often contacted. As well, some young people turned to the Internet, as 8% used it for an online diagnosis, 2% to find help, and 2% for discussion forums and social networks.
Females were more likely than males to report talking about emotional, mental health or substance use problems with both professional and informal sources. Immigrants were less likely than people born in Canada to report using professional services, but no differences were observed for contacting informal sources.
Note to readers
This study is based on results of the 2012 Canadian Community Health Survey – Mental Health. The analysis is based on data collected from 4,013 respondents aged 15 to 24, representing 4.4 million young Canadians.
All respondents were asked whether, during 12 months preceding the survey, they had seen or talked on the telephone about problems with their emotions, mental health, or use of alcohol or drugs with various professional and informal sources of support.
Professional sources were psychiatrists, family doctors and general practitioners, psychologists, nurses, and social workers / counselors / psychotherapists.
Informal sources were family members, friends, co-workers/supervisors/bosses, teachers / school principals, employee assistance programs, Internet resources (online diagnoses, finding help, discussing with others / online therapy / other), self-help groups, telephone help-lines, and other.
The study, "Professional and informal mental health support reported by Canadians aged 15 to 24," is available in the December 2014 online issue of Health Reports, Vol. 25, no. 12 (Catalogue number82-003-X), from the Browse by key resource module of our website under Publications.
Contact information
For more information, contact us (toll-free 1-800-263-1136; 514-283-8300; infostats@statcan.gc.ca).
To enquire about the concepts, methods or data quality of this article, contact Leanne C. Findlay (613-854-8909; leanne.findlay@statcan.gc.ca), Health Analysis Division.
This issue of Health Reports contains another article, "Gender gaps—Life expectancy and proportion of life in poor health."
To enquire about the concepts, methods or data quality of this article, contact Marc Luy (marc.luy@oeaw.ac.at), Wittgenstein Centre for Demography and Global Human Capital, Vienna Institute of Demography, Vienna, Austria.
For more information about Health Reports, contact Janice Felman (613-799-7746; janice.felman@statcan.gc.ca), Health Analysis Division.
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