dailynewsnblog
A new study from the University of Manitoba found anxiety and depression to be the two most commonly treated mental health issues in the province.
The report dug into the numbers for residents over the age of 15 from 2022 to 2023. It found approximately one-in-five Manitobans received care for anxiety and around 16 per cent, or one-in-six, sought treatment for depression.
“We’re looking at around 28 per cent of the population with a mood and anxiety disorder, which is about a five per cent increase (compared to 20 years ago),” said Lindsey Dahl, an epidemiologist with the Manitoba Centre for Health Policy at the university.
“Over the past 20 years, we have seen a steady increase in the percentage of people that are identified by our data.”
Researchers also looked at substance abuse disorders and found alcohol to be the most common vice for Manitobans who seek treatment.
The team also analyzed how health care is provided to people who struggle with mental health or substance use issues.
Get weekly health news
Receive the latest medical news and health information delivered to you every Sunday.
“There were 28,539 emergency department visits for (mental health and substance use) disorder reasons made by 14,501 individuals in the province,” the report reads.
Most Manitobans seek treatment in their local urgent care or emergency departments. Except for the Interlake-Eastern Regional Health Authority, where 46 per cent stayed local, others sought help elsewhere.
Around 22,000 people visited psychiatrists for help managing substance abuse or mental health, the study found.
Increased access to services and potentially a decrease in social stigma were credited by Dahl as some possible causes for the rising number of people asking for medical care for mental health.
“Our report looks specifically at health-care services that we have data for. So, visiting a physician, an emergency department, a hospital [and] those types of services. In that case, we’re thinking these people are seeking treatment and require those,” he said.
Findings from the research collected by Dahl and his team will be used to inform and support the related work done by the province’s department of housing, addictions and homelessness.
© 2026 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
