‘There’s a gap here’: New mental health data shows Maritimers lack sense of belonging

Akela Peoples, CEO of Mental Health Research Canada, talks about mental illness in Atlantic Canada.

New data from Mental Health Research Canada (MHRC) shows many Canadians continue to struggle with mental illness.

The data shows community connection appears to be lacking in the Maritimes.

“Forty-one per cent of people who live in Atlantic Canada indicated that they had participated in a group or community activity in the last year,” MHRC CEO Akela Peoples told CTV News Atlantic’s Todd Battis.

“Compare that to the rest of Canada, which said 48 per cent had done that, so a sense of belonging and a sense of community has been correlated with better mental health, so this finding was unusual.”

She mentioned the perception of Atlantic Canada being a tight-knit, community-oriented place.

“I’ve been to Atlantic Canada many times, one of my favourite parts of the country to come to,” she said. “People think that people in Atlantic Canada are extraordinarily community-minded, but definitely there’s a gap here.”

She said providers, policymakers and governments need to think about helping people feel connected.

The report comes as part of the MHRC’s ongoing national population polling initiative, which has tracked the mental health of Canadians since April 2020.

Its new data also expresses concern about people leaving or ending mental health care too soon.

Respondents reported feeling unclear about goals and not seeing progress.

“The good news is more people are reaching out for mental health… but the data reveals that 56 per cent of people have told us that they are leaving support earlier than needed or before their needs were met,” said Peoples.

The MHRC’s reporting also finds youth using screens to cope with mental illness and overall stress.

Peoples said reaching out and having conversations about mental health are important to ending the stigma around mental illness.

“We all have mental health, we all have physical health. We just need to start talking about it more.”