10 facts from CAMH report on Ontario student mental health

By News Staff

The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health has released its latest findings in its ongoing survey of the mental health and well-being of students across the province.

The survey, titled Ontario Student Drug Use and Health Survey (OSDUHS), is the longest ongoing school survey of adolescents in Canada, and one of the longest in the world.

The report, released on Thursday, describes “mental health, physical health and risk behaviours among Ontario students in 2015 and changes since 1991, where available.”

Here are 10 facts from the report:

1. Over one-quarter (28 per cent) of students report that, in the past year, there was a time they wanted to talk to someone about a mental health problem, but did not know where to turn. This estimate represents about 280,400 Ontario students. Three per cent of students report seeking help either by calling a telephone counselling helpline or over the Internet at least once in the past year. This estimate represents about 29,200 Ontario students.

2. One in six (17 per cent) students rate their mental health as fair or poor. The percentage of students who rate their mental health as fair or poor today is significantly higher than in 2007 (11 per cent), the first year of monitoring.

3. One in eight (12 per cent) students had serious thoughts about suicide in the past year (an estimated 113,500 students), and three per cent (an estimated 27,000 students) report a suicide attempt in the past year. (Similar to the 11 per cent estimate from 2001).

4. One-quarter (24 per cent) of students report being bullied at school since the beginning of the school year (representing about 231,200 students). By far, the most prevalent form of bullying victimization at school is verbal (21 per cent), while one per cent report that they are primarily bullied physically, and two per cent of students are victims of theft or vandalism. The percentage of students reporting being bullied at school shows a significant linear decline between 2003 and 2015, from 33 per cent to 24 per cent.

5. One in five (20 per cent) students report being bullied over the Internet in the past year. This estimate represents about 194,200 students. The percentage reporting being cyberbullied has remained stable since 2011 (22 per cent), the first year of monitoring.

6.The majority (86 per cent) of students visit social media sites daily. About one in six (16 per cent) students spend five hours or more on social media daily. That number shows an increase between 2013 and 2015, from 11 per cent to 16 per cent.

7. About two-thirds (63 per cent) of students spend three hours or more per day in front of a TV or tablet/computer in their free time (“screen time” sedentary behaviour). The percentage of students who are screen-time sedentary has increased since 2009, which was the first year of monitoring, from 57 per cent to 63 per cent.

8. Two-thirds (67 per cent) of students are satisfied with their weight. About one in five (22 per cent) believe they are too fat, and one in 10 (10 per cent) believe they are too thin.

9. One in five (21 per cent) students visited a mental health care professional (such as a doctor, nurse or counsellor) for a mental health matter at least once during the past year. The percentage of students reporting visiting a mental health professional is significantly higher today (21 per cent) than in 1999 (12 per cent), the first year of monitoring.

10. One in five (21 per cent) students report using a prescribed opioid pain reliever (e.g., Tylenol 3, Percocet) in the past year. About three per cent of students used a prescribed drug for ADHD (e.g., Ritalin, Adderall, Concerta) in the past year. About three per cent of secondary school students used a prescribed tranquillizer/sedative (e.g., Valium, Ativan, Xanax) in the past year. The percentage of students reporting being prescribed an opioid pain reliever in the past year has significantly decreased since 2007, the first year of monitoring, from 41 per cent to 21 per cent.

Read the complete survey below.

The 2015 OSDUHS Mental Health and Well-Being Report Executive Summary

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