Health Reports, May 2025

Released: 2025-05-21

More than half of girls and young women with a mental health or substance use disorder accessed formal health supports

The prevalence of mental health and substance use (MHSU) disorders has increased among youth in Canada. Girls and women were more likely to report worsened mental health since the COVID-19 pandemic than boys and men, raising concern about their access to mental health services.

A new study, "Who is reaching out for help? Examining access to mental health and substance use health supports among girls and young women in Canada," found that 38.5% of girls and young women aged 15 to 29 met the criteria for one or more MHSU disorders in 2022. Of those, 54.6% had accessed formal MHSU health supports.

Using data from the 2022 Mental Health and Access to Care Survey, this study found nearly half of girls and young women who met the criteria for an MHSU disorder received counselling or therapy (49.2%). The top reasons for not accessing counselling or therapy were a preference to self-manage symptoms and affordability.

Among those who accessed formal MHSU health supports, 62.3% consulted a family doctor or general practitioner. Lesbian and bisexual girls and young women with an MHSU disorder were more likely to access formal supports and more likely to have found the supports helpful than their heterosexual peers. Racialized girls and young women with an MHSU disorder were less likely than their non-racialized peers to report the care received was helpful.

These results can inform health care providers and policymakers about treatment gaps and barriers to care among different groups of girls and young women with MHSU disorders.

Unmet needs for home care among Canadians aged 85 years and older

The population of Canadians aged 85 and older is growing rapidly, increasing demand for health care, long-term care, and home care services. Unmet needs for home care may challenge the ability of this group to age in the community.

Factors such as physical, mental, and psychosocial health and services including home care, informal care, and community support services are key to an older person's ability to live independently. Using data from the 2019/2020 Canadian Health Survey on Seniors, the article "Health and care-receiving profiles and unmet home care needs among community-dwelling Canadians aged 85 years and older" applied latent class analysis to these factors to identify distinct health and care-receiving profiles among Canadians aged 85 and older living in the community.

An estimated 201,000 Canadians (28.2%) in this age group were classified as "healthiest–low care receiving," 180,000 (25.3%) as "moderately healthy– moderate care receiving," 194,000 (27.2%) as "moderately unhealthy–low care receiving," and 137,000 (19.2%) as "poor health–high care receiving." Increasing age and being an immigrant were associated with poorer health and higher care receiving.

Approximately 46,000 Canadians aged 85 years and older (6.5%) reported having unmet home care needs. Those with poorer health and higher care receiving were more likely to have such unmet needs. For example, 17.2% of those in the poor health-high care receiving profile reported unmet home care needs compared to 1.0% of those in the healthiest-low care receiving profile.

The findings of this study highlight the importance of considering multiple health and care-receiving factors to better illuminate unmet home care needs among community-dwelling Canadians aged 85 years and older. Understanding the characteristics of the oldest-old living in the community and their unmet home care needs could help target programs to support them in aging at home.

Products

The articles "Who is reaching out for help? Examining access to mental health and substance use health supports among girls and young women in Canada" and "Health and care-receiving profiles and unmet home care needs among community-dwelling Canadians aged 85 years and older," are now available in the May 2025 online issue of Health Reports, Vol. 36, No. 05 (Catalogue number82-003-X).

Contact information

For more information, or to enquire about the concepts, methods or data quality of this release, contact us (toll-free 1-800-263-1136; 514-283-8300; infostats@statcan.gc.ca) or Media Relations (statcan.mediahotline-ligneinfomedias.statcan@statcan.gc.ca).