Anxiety and Depression in Canada During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A National Survey

Depression and anxiety are the most prevalent mental health problems in Canada. The COVID-19 pandemic will likely result in a large increase in the incidence and prevalence of anxiety and depression and experts are already warning of an "echo pandemic" of mental health problems. The objective is this research was to explore how Canadians are managing with the COVID-19 outbreak and determine the impact of the pandemic on levels of anxiety and depression. A nationally representative sample of 1,803 participants completed an online survey that was offered in both official languages. The percentage of respondents who indicated that their anxiety was high to extremely high quadrupled (from 5% to 20%) and the number of participants with high self-reported depression more than doubled (from 4% to 10%) since the onset of COVID-19. Although current anxiety levels are expected to remain the same, respondents predicted that depression would worsen if physical distancing and self-isolation continue for another 2 months. One-third of Canadians with anxiety and depression also report an increase in alcohol and cannabis use during the pandemic. Canadians with depression and anxiety also indicate that the quantity and quality of mental health support systems has decreased. Finally, a sizable proportion of Canadians believe that the federal and provincial governments should do more to support the mental health of Canadians. Recommendations for psychologists responding to mental health needs during and following the pandemic are provided. La dépression et l'anxiété sont les deux problèmes de santé mentale les plus courants au Canada. La pandémie de COVID-19 donnera lieu probablement à une incidence et à une prévalence accrues d'anxiété et de dépression, et les experts envisagent déjà l'éclosion d'une « pandémie-écho » de problèmes de santé mentale. L'objectif de cette étude est d'explorer la façon dont les Canadiens gèrent l'éclosion de COVID-19 et de déterminer les répercussions de la pandémie sur les niveaux d'anxiété et de dépression. Un échantillon représentatif de la population nationale de 1803 participants a répondu à un questionnaire en ligne, offert dans les deux langues officielles. Le pourcentage de répondants ayant indiqué que leur niveau d'anxiété était élevé ou extrêmement élevé a quadruplé (de 5 % à 20 %), et le nombre de participants disant souffrir d'une dépression autorapportée a plus que doublé (de 4 % à 10 %) depuis le début de la pandémie. Bien qu'on s'