Canadians unhappy with wait times, ability to access publicly-funded mental healthcare services

A Canadian Alliance on Mental Illness and Mental Health survey evaluated publicly funded mental health and substance use healthcare services in Canada based on four categories: access, confidence, satisfaction and effectiveness. Canadians gave federal and provincial governments an “F” for mental health services and a “D” for substance use services. The survey found 90% of Canadians believe finding and getting timely mental health treatment is important and 83% believe provinces should hire more mental healthcare providers. Three out of four Canadians believe in the importance of timely access to substance use health services, while a similar proportion (72%) said governments should support healthcare workers with education on substance use.