1 in 5 Manitobans sought care for anxiety, study finds — but researcher says that’s likely an undercount

One in five Manitobans over the age of 15 sought health-care services for anxiety symptoms over a one-year period, while about one in six sought care for depression, according to a new study — but some say those numbers are likely an undercount.

University of Manitoba researchers partnered with the provincial government’s Department of Housing, Addictions and Homelessness to produce the report, released Wednesday.

Researchers used anonymized administrative health data to measure common mental health and substance abuse disorders based on Manitobans’ doctor visits, hospitalizations and drug dispensations.

The data from 2022-23 — the most recent available — came from roughly 1.17 million Manitobans aged 15 or older as of the end of 2022, the report says.

It found anxiety and depression were the most common mental health disorders to affect Manitobans across the province’s regional health authorities during the one-year period.

Lindsey Dahl, the epidemiologist who led the study, says the report will give decision-makers an idea of the number of people experiencing mental health and substance use disorders in the province, and the health-care services they’re using.

“It gives a snapshot of the most recent data that we have available,” he told CBC News on Wednesday.

The findings were not surprising, he said.

“What we’re seeing in terms of the actual percentage of the population that we’re identifying with these disorders is pretty consistent with what we’re seeing in other jurisdictions.”

The data also indicated alcohol and prescription opioid use disorders were the most common substance use disorders among Manitobans included in the data.

Alcohol use disorder affected 1.8 per cent of the people included in the data, and prescription opioid use disorder affected 0.7 per cent, the report says.

The data shows rates of mental health and substance use disorders were highest in the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority and Prairie Mountain Health in western Manitoba, which are home to the province’s two largest cities, Winnipeg and Brandon.

Systemic barriers, stigma

However, the numbers in the data are believed to be undercounts, as Dahl says that data relies on people going to see a doctor or visiting a health-care facility.

Some people who sought care for anxiety, depression or substance use disorders from community organizations may not have been captured by the data, he said.

“What we do find interesting is … the percentage of the population who would be experiencing symptoms for anxiety or depression that don’t actually seek care,” said Dahl.

“There’s also a considerable number or percentage that don’t actually access [or] seek out these services that we’re able to identify, so the number is actually larger than what we’re reporting.”

Alex Pedersen, the provincial program co-ordinator at the Anxiety Disorders Association of Manitoba, or ADAM, agrees that the number of Manitobans suffering symptoms of anxiety and depression is likely higher than the data shows.

“Given the stigma that we’re still managing in society, I think that that’s more likely the case,” he said Wednesday.

Scott McFadyen, ADAM’s executive director, says people are “under a lot of pressure nowadays,” which can include economic, social, political and existential factors.

“Across the board, there’s more pressure [and] more anxiety, and that’s just a symptom of everything that’s going on in this world,” he said.

McFadyen said women over the age of 50 who live in the suburbs are the predominant demographic seeking support from ADAM.

“There’s definitely some systemic barriers in place as to why … those people are the ones accessing services,” he said.

While anxiety can hit people of all stripes, Pederson suspects older women are also more likely to seek ADAM’s help because they’ve been able to move past the stigma around it.

“This particular group seems to manage the stigma and feel comfortable reaching out and having a conversation about their mental health,” Pederson said.

But McFadyen says he’s noticed parents of adolescents struggling with anxiety, and of adults who live at home, are also reaching out more often to access ADAM’s support for their children.

“I would suggest that we’re kind of slowly cracking those other demographics in terms of … finally making that decision to seek help for their mental health.”

Pederson hopes the study helps more people seek that help.

“We put so much investment into our bodies and making sure that we’re in tip-top shape, but we constantly forget about our mental health,” he said.

“Hopefully, we do see an uptick in people reaching out, but only time will tell.”