One in four people in Ontario are receiving mental health aid – the highest percentage ever recorded during the pandemic, according to polling data released Monday.
Conducted by the Canadian Mental Health Association, the results of the study show that while the prevalence of mental health problems has not risen much since the beginning of the pandemic, the number of people seeking mental health assistance drastically has.
In the latest survey, 48 per cent of respondents said their mental health had become worse since the pandemic began.
That figure was at 36 per cent when the pandemic began.
“I think a lot of people with depression and anxiety were suffering in silence and afraid to come out because of their fear of COVID,” said Dr. Mark Berber, an Associate Professor at the University of Toronto.
In the, 1,001 Ontario adults were surveyed between Jan. 10-17, and carries a margin of error of 3.1 per cent. The CMHA did three other similar surveys in April 2020, July 2020 and February 2021.
Berber spoke about empty psychiatric wards during the peak of COVID-19, a time when so many offices, schools and businesses were closed.
“Why were they empty? Because the people were afraid to come for help. Now that things have loosened up and opened up, now they’re coming and now our ward is full again,” said Berber.
The study also found that number of individuals who consider mental health support to be helpful is on the decline. The poll found that about 65 per cent said mental health supports are helpful, but that is down from 77 per cent near the beginning of COVID-19.
“The fact that you can go to a therapist and have a few little chits and a little chat and go on some magic pill is going to make all the damage go away? It won’t, it’s not, there’s no simple fix for this. A lot of damage was done,” said Berber.
Berber also addressed concerns that the aftermath of the pandemic will also have serious implications for people’s mental health.
“People are getting hopeless and this aftermath is going to echo for years to come.”
It’s going to take a long time for people to rebuild their lives, he adds.
Berber stresses that people should see the cure as worse than the disease.
During the pandemic, many people have been unable to socialize, go to work or school, and there has been a lot of economic uncertainty with many businesses closing shop.
For 21-yer-old Angel Medeiros who lives with anxiety, the findings of this poll are frightening, but not much of a surprise.
“Not only me but some of my friends who weren’t receiving therapy when this pandemic started turned to it recently,” said Medeiros. “It’s been difficult to be optimistic about an end to this pandemic”
Medeiros told Humber News that she began therapy in 2018 but her visits became more frequent during the pandemic.
“Therapy always has been helpful to keep me grounded but I find that as the pandemic goes on, the effect of going to therapy doesn’t last as long as it used to,” said Medeiros.
Medeiros occasionally leaves therapy already thinking about when her next session will be.
“The saying of ‘take it one day at a time’ lost meaning to me somewhere in between the two years of this pandemic,” said Medeiros.