By the Numbers: Mental Health
Toronto – January 20, 2025 – The third Monday of January is colloquially known as “Blue Monday, the most depressing day of the year.” While research shows that there is not one day of the year that is more depressing than others, mental health is a crucial part of health and safety.
Key stats:
- 18% of Canadians (5 million) met the diagnostic criteria for a mood, anxiety or substance use disorder in 2022.
- 1 in 3 of Canadians with a mood, anxiety, or substance use disorder report unmet or partially met health and mental health care needs.
- 12 billion: Globally, an estimated 12 billion working days are lost every year to depression and anxiety.
- 1.25 million: Approximately 1.25 million youth in Canada need mental health supports every year.
- Nearly 3 in 5 (57%) of those youth are not getting the help they need. Youth have lower mental health indicators compared to other ages.
Decent work is crucial for mental health. Poor working environments – including discrimination and inequality, excessive workloads, low job control and job insecurity – pose a risk to mental health. Read the International Labour Organization’s policy brief on Mental health at work.
Mental Health is Brain Health, and you can find infographics and fact sheets and other tools to address mental health issues at work at UFCW.ca/mentalhealth.
Enroll in UFCW’s webCampus’s courses on Mental Health Matters.
We envision a world in which mental health is valued, promoted and protected, and where everyone is heard and supported.
