Half of Ontario citizens concerned about their mental health amid COVID-19
by CM Staff
Mental health impacts of pandemic expected to have lagging impact in coming months
PHOTO: Adobe Stock
TORONTO — Renascent, a provider of substance addiction treatment and concurrent mental health disorders, released the findings of a survey on June 29 that indicates 52% of Ontario citizens — and a much higher group of six in 10 (58%) residents of Toronto (GTA) — are very concerned about the impact of COVID-19 on their mental health.
“The nature of the pandemic is creating enormous waves of anxiety and depression. We know this type of crisis event has a lagging effect, so the full societal mental health impact is a few months off,” said Renascent CEO Laura Bhoi in a prepared statement. “We are retooling our entire treatment program to deal with the new realities of COVID-19 both now and when that anticipated percussion occurs.”
“The pandemic has forced us to construct new applications not readily used by our sector previously, like telehealth and online counselling,” Director of Programs and Operations Michael Lochran said in a statement. “With a demand surge expected in the months ahead we can already see how these new tools will not only be beneficial then but also bring long-lasting improvements that will revolutionize the way our sector delivers more accessible services.”
