Canadian health-care professionals weigh in on pandemic mental health in new survey
A new survey is shedding some light on the stresses, scars and opportunities for change that have emerged from the COVID-19 pandemic.
The survey, conducted by Yorkville University, asked front-line workers for their insights on the state of mental health care in Canada right now.
Dr. Sarah Stewart-Spencer, the dean of behavioral sciences at Yorkville University, says one thing that stood out to her from the survey was “we’re all connected and we’re all affected.”
“Really, everyone had a collective experience, whether it was the fatigue that was left over, the stress that it put on our bodies and our daily lives. But another piece is now, we all kind of know what it means when we say, ‘Wow this had been a hard last few years.’”
She adds that those shared experiences aren’t over yet.
“There’s still a lot of aftermath, still a lot of sickness. We all still see that fatigue really lingering as well, and many are dealing with grief and loss on top of that. So there’s really a sense of collective understanding that came out of this.”
Of those surveyed, 92 per cent agree that the pandemic left traumatic scars for people across Canada. And more than half said the state of parents’ and caregivers’ mental health post-pandemic is “somewhat or significantly deteriorating.”
Stewart-Spencer says, regardless of whether people struggled with their mental health or not before the pandemic began, everyone “felt a shift.”
“So collectively, we all felt that as well. And for those that are facing mental health crisis or still feeling the mental health illness that they’re experiencing, the reality is access to care is a huge concern right now. We really see that being the biggest, and really the most concerning. Making sure that we have enough front-line workers, making sure there’s a counsellor or psychotherapist there, ready to help. And the unfortunate part is we’re seeing extensive wait lines, we’re seeing extensive lack of care. So I’d say that’s a really big piece that came out of this.”
More than half of the survey’s respondents ranked access to care as one of the most challenging barriers facing people living with mental illness.
Stewart-Spencer says there is also a “back-to-back challenge” now.
“Because we’ve been dealing with years of really, stress, and this ongoing, chronic sense of struggle, but now we’re going into back-to-back challenges with the economic and financial hardships that we’re now encountering, so we really are seeing a wide range of impact.”
A large percentage of those surveyed said they see the flexible or hybrid workplaces that resulted from the pandemic as a positive thing.
“We’ve been in virtual care for almost two decades, but the relatively large access to that was really kind of cut off. We hadn’t accelerated into that space,” Stewart-Spencer says. “Because of the pandemic, we were able to innovate, to be creative, to find ways to reach clients and give the care that we need.
“We have found a new way as humans to truly connect and become an extension of our self in that space to give support to others.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
An emergency slide falls off a Delta Air Lines plane, forcing pilots to return to JFK in New York
An emergency slide fell off a Delta Air Lines jetliner shortly after takeoff Friday from New York, and pilots who felt a vibration in the plane circled back to land safely at JFK Airport.
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
Decoy bear used to catch man who illegally killed a grizzly, B.C. conservation officers say
A man has been handed a lengthy hunting ban and fined thousands of dollars for illegally killing a grizzly bear, B.C. conservation officers say.
'I was scared': Ontario man's car repossessed after missing two repair loan payments
An Ontario man who took out a loan to pay for auto repairs said his car was repossessed after he missed two payments.
First court appearance for boy and girl charged in death of Halifax 16-year-old
A girl and a boy, both 14 years old, made their first appearance today in a Halifax courtroom, where they each face a second-degree murder charge in the stabbing death of a 16-year-old high school student.