Help Seeking Rates: Mental Health

Question

I have a researcher looking for trends in male versus female help-seeking rates in the areas of health and mental health over the last 20 years.  The NPHS does the trick nicely, but doesn’t cover the entire time period he is looking for. Does anyone have any further suggestions?

Answer

In addition to the surveys recommended off-list (also listed at the end of this message), the researcher may wish to look into the Hospital Mental Health Database maintained by the Canadian Institute for Health information (CIHI) (http://secure.cihi.ca/cihiweb/dispPage.jsp?cw_page=services_mhdb_e). CIHI assumed the data collection and dissemination responsibilities for mental health related administrative data from Statistics Canada as of 1994/1995.

Hospital Mental Health Database (CIHI)

"Source: Data are gathered from administrative separation records of psychiatric and general hospitals. They are obtained electronically through selected extracts of the Discharge Abstract Database (DAD) for those provinces/territories participating in DAD. Data for the remaining hospitals are submitted by the appropriate province or territory. (...)

Data Elements: Data consist of demographic and medical diagnosis information on inpatient hospital stays. All provinces and territories are represented.

"Availability: Most recent year - 2005/2006

Next release - 2006/2007 (April 2009)

Historical series:

- 1994/1995 to 2005/2006
- 1930/1931 to 1993/1994 (data maintained by Statistics Canada under the name Hospital Mental Health Database)"

The researcher may also be interested in some of Statistics Canada's older print publications that contain pre-1994/1995 mental health statistics. For example:

Mental health statistics / Statistics Canada, Canadian Centre for Health Information = La statistique de l'hygiène mentale / Statistique Canada, Centre canadien d'information sur la santé. (83-245). 1990/91-1993/94

Preceded by:

Health reports. Supplement. Mental health statistics / Statistics Canada, Canadian Centre for Health Information = Rapports sur la santé. Supplément. La statistique de l'hygiène mentale / Statistique Canada, Centre canadien d'information sur la santé. 83-245 1985/86 to 83-245 1989/90.

More detailed descriptions of these publications are available in BiblioCat (http://www.statcan.gc.ca/biblionet/index-eng.htm).

The CCHS and NPHS based CANSIM tables listed on this page may also be of interest: http://cansim2.statcan.gc.ca/cgi-win/cnsmcgi.pgm?Lang=E&SP_Action=Result&SP_ID=2443&SP_Par=2966&SP_TYP=4&SP_Sort=1&SP_Portal=2

Surveys suggested off-list: National alcohol and drug survey, 1989, General social survey cycle 6, 1991, Canadian study of health and aging, 1991-1992 (CSHA-1), Canada's alcohol and other drugs survey, 1994, National population health surveys (NPHS) health file 1994, National population health surveys (NPHS) household file 1998-1999, Canadian community health survey (CCHS) cycle 1.1, 2000-2001, Canadian community health survey (CCHS) 1,2, 2002 Canadian community health survey (CCHS) 2.1, 2003, Canadian community health survey (CCHS) 3.1, 2005.

I hope that these suggestions are helpful.