Unmet needs for mental health care

Proportion of the population reporting unmet mental health care needs.

This indicator is measured in the Canadian Community Health Survey (CCHS). The unmet mental health care needs indicator reports on those who received help but not all the help that they needed, and those who did not receive the help that they needed.

Respondents are asked the following:

During the past 12 months, did you receive any form of professional help for your emotions, mental health or use of alcohol or drugs?

• Yes
• No

You mentioned that you received professional help for your emotions, mental health or use of alcohol or drugs. Do you think you received all the help you needed during the past 12 months?

• Yes
• No

You mentioned that you did not receive any professional help for your emotions, mental health or use of alcohol or drugs. Do you think you needed this kind of help during the past 12 months?

• Yes
• No

In the Survey Series on First Nations People, Métis and Inuit (SSFNPMI) survey respondents are asked:

During the past 12 months, was there ever a time when you felt that you needed mental health care, whether or not you received it?

• Yes
• No

To what extent do you feel your mental health care needs were met?

• You sought mental health care, and your needs were fully met
• You sought mental health care, and your needs were partially met
• You sought mental health care, and your needs were unmet
• You did not seek mental health care

This indicator is measured through multiple Statistics Canada surveys. Estimates can vary between data sources due to differences in reference periods, targeted or sampled populations, data collection and other methodology.

• Canadian Community Health Survey (CCHS)
  • Table 13-10-0619-01 – Mental health characteristics: Perceived need for mental health care
• Mental Health and Access to Care Survey (MHACS)
• Survey on Mental Health and Stressful Events (SMHSE)
• Survey Series on First Nations People, Métis and Inuit (SSFNPMI)

• Mental disorders in Canada, 2022 (Statistics Canada - Infographics, September 22, 2023)

• Healthcare access among children and youth aged 1 to 17 in Canada: Results from the 2023 Canadian Health Survey on Children and Youth, cross-sectional component (The Daily, March 10, 2025)
• Health care access and experiences among Indigenous people, 2024 (The Daily, November 4, 2024)
• Mental disorders and access to mental health care (Insights on Canadian Society, September 22, 2023)