Easing the disruption of COVID-19: supporting the mental health of the people of Canada—October 2020—an RSC Policy Briefing
Gordon J.G. Asmundson,
Cindy Blackstock,
Marie Claire Bourque,
Glenn Brimacombe,
Allison Crawford,
S. Hélène Deacon,
Ken McMullen,
Patrick J. McGrath,
Christopher Mushquash,
Sherry H. Stewart,
Jennifer Stinson,
Steven Taylor,
Marsha Campbell-Yeo
Affiliations
Gordon J.G. Asmundson
Department of Psychology, University of Regina, Regina, SK, Canada
Cindy Blackstock
First Nations Child and Family Caring Society of Canada, Ottawa, ON, Canada School of Social Work, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
Marie Claire Bourque
Department of Psychiatry, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, ON, Canada
Glenn Brimacombe
Policy and Public Affairs, Canadian Psychological Association, Ottawa, ON, Canada
Allison Crawford
Virtual Mental Health and Outreach, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, ON, Canada Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
S. Hélène Deacon
Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, Canada
Ken McMullen
Emergency Services, The City of Red Deer, Red Deer, AB, Canada
Patrick J. McGrath
Department of Psychiatry, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, Canada IWK Health Centre, Chair of the Working Group, Halifax, NS, Canada
Christopher Mushquash
Department of Psychology, Lakehead University, Thunder Bay, ON, Canada Dilico Anishinabek Family Care, Thunder Bay, ON, Canada
Sherry H. Stewart
Departments of Psychiatry and Psychology and Neuroscience, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, Canada
Jennifer Stinson
Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, Canada Lawrence S. Bloomberg Faculty of Nursing, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
Steven Taylor
Department of Psychiatry, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
Marsha Campbell-Yeo
School of Nursing, Faculty of Health, Dalhousie University and IWK Health, Halifax, NS, Canada
The COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on the mental health of the people of Canada. Most have found it challenging to cope with social distancing, isolation, anxiety about infection, financial security and the future, and balancing demands of work and home life. For some, especially those who have had to face pre-existing challenges such as structural racism, poverty, and discrimination and those with prior mental health problems, the pandemic has been a major impact. The Policy Briefing Report focuses on the current situation, how the COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated significant long-standing weaknesses in the mental health system and makes specific recommendations to meet these challenges to improve the well-being of the people of Canada. The COVID-19 pandemic has had a detrimental effect on mental health of people in Canada but the impact has been variable, impacting those facing pre-existing structural inequities hardest. Those living in poverty, and in some socially stratified groups facing greater economic and social disadvantage, such as some racialized and some Indigenous groups and those with preexisting mental health problems, have suffered the most. Some occupational groups have been more exposed to the virus and to psychological stress with the pandemic. The mental health care system was already overextended and under resourced. The pandemic has exacerbated the problems. The care system responded by a massive move to virtual care. The future challenge is for Canada to strengthen our knowledge base in mental health, to learn from the pandemic, and to provide all in Canada the support they need to fully participate in and contribute to Canada’s recovery from the pandemic.
