The longest-running school survey of adolescents in Canada, ongoing for almost five decades, has shown a decline in mental health in Ontario in 2023.
Almost one in five of the over 10,000 Ontario students surveyed between Nov. 2022 and June 2023 reported attempting suicide in the past year, according to the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health’s Ontario Student Drug Use and Health Survey.
While 18% of students reported serious thoughts about suicide in the past year, 19% said they harmed themselves on purpose. One in twenty, 5%, of students reported attempting suicide in the past year.
The 10,145 students surveyed were in grades 7 to 12 in 848 classes across 235 schools in Ontario. The data collected were based on self-reports submitted through anonymous questionnaires.
Since monitoring began in 2007, the percentage of students who rate their mental health as fair or poor has risen from 11% to 38%. Similarly, 37% of students reported elevated stress levels, up from 29% since monitoring began in 2015.
Dr. Hayley Hamilton, Co-Director of the Institute for Mental Health Policy Research, said in a press release issued by the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health that these data should cause concern regarding youth mental health in Ontario.
“Currently, more than half of Ontario students report symptoms of depression and anxiety, and a third of students (31%) rate their ability to cope as fair or poor. This trend points to a generation under increasing stress and the need for continued and increased investments in youth mental health,” said Hamilton.
Ontario students are becoming less able to deal with the stress they face.
Between the first year of monitoring in 2019 and 2023, the percentage of students reporting an inability to cope with unexpected and difficult problems increased from 23% to 31%.
Increased medication use has not seen mental health issues improve. The percentage of students reporting medical use of ADHD drugs and the use of medications to treat anxiety and depression have both significantly increased since they were first monitored, from 2% to 5% and 3% to 10%, respectively.
While using prescription drugs has become more common, the opposite can be said for recreational drugs. Cannabis use and vaping have both decreased among Ontario students since 2019. Alcohol use and smoking cigarettes have both seen steady decreases over the last 25 years.
For the first time in the survey’s history, females are more likely than males to use certain drugs. Girls are more likely to use cannabis, 21% vs. 15%, vape, 18% vs. 9%, and drink alcohol, 39% vs. 33%.
One-third of Ontario students surveyed, 33%, said that they felt they needed mental health support from a professional during the past year but did not seek it. The most common reasons for not seeking support were thinking they could handle it themselves, worrying about how others would perceive them, and not having enough time.
Dr. Leslie Buckley, Chief of the Addictions Division at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health in Toronto, said that the recent research should be a call to action for parents and young people.
“It’s crucial that we continue to break down barriers to seeking support. If you’re struggling, please know that help is available and that asking for it is a sign of strength, not weakness.”