Use of health services for mental illness:How to report data
A resource to help readers understand and use health services data for mental illness from the Canadian Chronic Disease Surveillance System.
- Last updated: 2026-04-14
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About the measures
'Use of health services' are a set of measures in CCDSS that count the number of people with at least one healthcare contact for a condition in a given year. These measures do not count the total number of people living with that condition. Instead, they capture use of healthcare in main settings (like visits to a physician and hospitalizations).
Measures may not include people who experience mental illness symptoms but do not seek or require care, as well as people who sought care in other settings (in a given year).
Types of measure
Age-standardization adjusts for differences in the age structure of the population. In the CCDSS, for 2023–2024 data, the 2021 Canadian standard population was used to compare proportion over time. This ensures results were not affected by changes in population aging.
Crude proportion does not adjust for age distribution. It is reporting the number of people included in the measure divided by the total population.
How to understand and report data and graphs
Here are some examples of how to report these data. The examples use the CCDSS 'use of health services for mental illness and alcohol/drug induced disorders' measure. For each example, the relevant section of the graph is highlighted.
Example 1 – Is there a sex difference in the use of health services for mental illness?
In 2023–2024, 14.92% (crude proportion) of people aged 1 year and older used at least one health service for mental illness and alcohol or drug induced mental health disorders. This proportion was higher among females than males.
Figure 1: Notes
Proportion is the percentage of people who used at least one health service for mental illness and alcohol/drug induced disorders in the fiscal year. Data from the Canadian Chronic Disease Surveillance System (CCDSS).
*Many CCDSS measures, such as chronic condition incidence, were influenced by the COVID-19 pandemic. Changes in such measures may be driven by multiple factors, including (but not limited to) differences in healthcare seeking behaviour, the availability and use of healthcare services, as well as true changes in health status. As such, CCDSS measures should be used cautiously when making inferences about population health during the COVID-19 pandemic. For the purposes of interpreting the estimates in this data tool, the COVID-19 pandemic period is defined as fiscal years 2020–2021 to 2022–2023. This timeframe aligns with the World Health Organization’s declaration of COVID-19 as a public emergency of international concern from January 30, 2020, to May 5, 2023.
Example 2 – Have health services use for mental illness changed over time?
This graph shows the percentage of people aged 1 year and older who used one or more health service for mental illness and alcohol or drug induced disorders. It uses the 2021 Canadian standard population for age-standardization. The proportion rose from 14.12% in 2013–2014 to 14.89% in 2023–2024.
Figure 2: Notes
Proportion is the percentage of people who used at least one health service for mental illness and alcohol/drug induced disorders in the fiscal year. Data from the Canadian Chronic Disease Surveillance System (CCDSS).
*Many CCDSS measures, such as chronic condition incidence, were influenced by the COVID-19 pandemic. Changes in such measures may be driven by multiple factors, including (but not limited to) differences in healthcare seeking behaviour, the availability and use of healthcare services, as well as true changes in health status. As such, CCDSS measures should be used cautiously when making inferences about population health during the COVID-19 pandemic. For the purposes of interpreting the estimates in this data tool, the COVID-19 pandemic period is defined as fiscal years 2020–2021 to 2022–2023. This timeframe aligns with the World Health Organization’s declaration of COVID-19 as a public emergency of international concern from January 30, 2020, to May 5, 2023.
More information
To explore and get the latest data, visit the Canadian Chronic Disease Surveillance System on Health Infobase.
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Canadian Chronic Disease Surveillance System (CCDSS)
The CCDSS is a collaborative network of provincial and territorial surveillance systems, supported by the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC).
Mental health services
Government of Canada mental health resources and services.
Access other health data and surveillance products.
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