Use of mental health services

Few standardized instruments allow for the evaluation of mental health services. A simple question in the Canadian Community Health Survey measures one of these aspects: “In the past 12 months, have you seen or talked to a health professional about your emotional or mental health?” (Statistics Canada, 2018). The remainder of the “Consultations about mental health” module measures the frequency of consultation over the past 12 months with a health professional concerning mental health and the type of professional consulted (family physician, psychiatrist, psychologist, nurse, social worker, other) (Questionnaire 23).

The “Mental health services” module of the 2012 CCHS – Mental Health is more complete than the module in the Annual Component. In particular, it measures whether the respondent has been hospitalized for reasons related to his emotions, mental health, alcohol or drug use, the number of consultations with a health professional related to his problems, and the reason treatment was halted.