Number of Islanders consulting mental health professional almost doubles

The number of Prince Edward Islanders seeking help for mental health issues rose dramatically between 2015 and 2019, according to the Canadian Community Health Survey.

The survey was released Thursday morning by Statistics Canada.

It shows the percentage of Islanders 12 and older consulting a mental health professional rose from 10.6 per cent in 2015 to 19.9 per cent in 2019.

Other indicators in the survey suggest that despite these efforts to find help, the overall mental health of the population has not improved.

The percentage of Islanders reporting good mental health dropped almost 10 per cent, to 82 per cent. The percentage reporting suicidal thoughts rose 29 per cent to 11.1 per cent.

Nationally, these indicators were largely unchanged. There was a small increase in the number of Canadians seeking professional help.

With the fall in reported good mental health, Islanders now are at about the national average.

CBC News asked the P.E.I. Health Department for a comment on the survey, but has not yet received a response.

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