Mental health and COVID-19: Here’s why the pandemic was harder on struggling Canadians

Over 25 per cent were classified as having low-to-moderate mental health difficulties and nearly nine per cent were classified as having severe mental health difficulties.

The COVID-19 pandemic has taken a toll on Canadians across the nation over the past couple of years but those with mental health struggles have been impacted far more, a recent report from Statistics Canada shows.

“Certainly everybody has suffered, but some people have suffered more than others,” Cheryl Forchuk, university professor at Western University and assistant scientific director at Lawson Health Research Institute, told Global News.

The question to ask here is why, says Forchuk.

“Why did people with pre-existing mental health problems fare worse?”

The answer can be found in “social determinants,” like income, work and poverty, according to Forchuk.

People with mental health struggles are “much more vulnerable to these problems,” she said.

“A lot of their worrying and mental health (are) very much related to financial issues, losing income … Now, that’s true across the board for Canadians, but for people with pre-existing mental health problems, this is a greater problem in terms of (coping) compared to the general population that do not have mental health problems,” she added.

Authored by Michelle D. Guerrero and Joel D. Barnes of Statistics Canada’s Health Analysis Division, the report, released Thursday, surveyed 22,721 adults 18 and older.