New research has revealed that over one-third of Canadians present symptoms of depression and anxiety, highlighting the gravity of a national mental health crisis disproportionately affecting Indigenous, racialized and younger populations.
Researchers from the University of Ottawa's Interdisciplinary Centre for Black Health surveyed 4,200 Canadians across racial groups in a pair of peer-reviewed studies that provide a clear snapshot into the mental health of a nation where over 38% of respondents presented symptoms of depression and 1/3 admitted symptoms of anxiety. For Indigenous and racialized individuals, racism played a role in increasing their symptoms, making them 18 more times susceptible to depression.
"Our findings should sound the alarm on the societal mental health crisis Canada is facing, which will only be exacerbated as social and economic disparity continues," says Dr. Jude Mary Cénat, Full Professor in the School of Psychology at the University of Ottawa. "While resilience can help alleviate symptoms, it is not enough and cannot compensate for the impact of discrimination and structural inequalities and is often negatively associated with symptoms of anxiety."
Key findings include:
- The prevalence of depressive symptoms was highest among Indigenous (49.37%), Arab (44.23%), Asian (41.42%), Black (32.92%), and White (32.69%) participants.
- Younger participants consistently reported higher depressive and severe depressive symptoms rates across all racial groups, with 54.1% of Indigenous women reporting depressive symptoms.
- The prevalence of anxiety was highest among Indigenous (47.58%), Arab (38.99%), Asian (35.92%), Black (30.12%), White (27.74%), and mixed-race participants (24.56%).
- Women were 1.47 times more likely to report anxiety symptoms than men, and non-binary individuals were at an even higher risk.
"Governments at all levels need to invest in programs targeted to the most vulnerable groups or risk seeing increased pressure on already fragile health systems, whether it be at the national, provincial or local level," said Dr. Cénat, who co-authored the studies with Dr. Seyed Mohammad Mahdi Moshirian Farahi, a CIHR Postdoctoral Fellow in the School of Psychology.
They argue that mental health, particularly that of young people, must become a major national priority and that the results of this research provide solid scientific evidence to mobilize civil society, policymakers, and institutions around a common goal: protecting mental health as we protect physical health.
"There is a critical need for a national mental health plan that incorporates anti-racist and culturally sensitive prevention and care to ensure equitable access to mental health services, as well as a need to fight systematic racism in schools, in the workplace, and in public services," adds Dr. Farahi.
Racial disparities in prevalence and determinants of anxiety symptoms among Arab, Asian, Black, Indigenous, White and Mixed-racial individuals in Canada: The major role of racial discrimination,' was published n Psychiatry Research on August 28, 2025.
Prevalence and correlates of severe depressive symptoms among Arab, Asian, Black, Indigenous, White, and mixed-race individuals in Canada: a population-based study' was published in The Lancet Regional Health-Americas, 51, 101231, on September 12, 2025.
