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By the Numbers: A statistical profile of people with mental health and addiction disabilities in Ontario

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Approved by the OHRC: 2015
Available in accessible formats on request
PDF recommended for assistive technology

The OHRC acknowledges the technical support received from the Canadian Human Rights Commission and particularly Eric Diotte, Senior Researcher, who provided insight and expertise that greatly helped in developing this report.

Key findings

Ontarians with mental health and addiction disabilities have lower levels of education, lower income, are less likely to take part in the labour force and are less likely to live in adequate, affordable housing compared to people with other disabilities and people without disabilities. The following results are from the 2012 Canadian Survey on Disability, which surveyed people aged 15 and over:

  • 15.4% of Ontarians report having a disability – that is, they have difficulty performing tasks as a result of a long-term condition or health-related problem and experience a limitation in their daily activities. Of this 15.4%, 4.8% report a mental health or addiction disability, and 10.6% report other disabilities. In other words, of all Ontarians who report a disability, almost one-third (30.9%) report a mental health or addiction disability.  
     
  • The prevalence of mental health and addiction disabilities is slightly higher among Ontarians (4.8%) than people across Canada (3.9%). The same is true for people with other disabilities (10.6% among Ontarians and 9.9% among Canadians).
     
  • The vast majority of Ontarians who report a mental health disability or addiction also report having another type of disability (90.5%).
     
  • A greater proportion of people with mental health or addiction disabilities in Ontario report having severe or very severe disabilities (73.8%) compared to people with other disabilities (39.5%).
     
  • A slightly greater proportion of women (5%) than men (4.5%) in Ontario report mental health or addiction disabilities.
     
  • A greater proportion of people with mental health and addiction disabilities are younger (aged 15-34 years) and in mid-life (aged 35-54 years) than people with other disabilities. People aged 15-24 account for 9.3% of all Ontarians who report mental health and addiction disabilities, which is more than twice the proportion of people with other disabilities (3.5%).   
     
  • More than twice the proportion of Indigenous peoples in Ontario living off reserve (12%) report mental health and addiction disabilities compared to non-Indigenous people (4.6%).
     
  • Racialized people in Ontario report lower prevalence of mental health and addiction disabilities (3.3%) compared to non-racialized people and Indigenous peoples (5.3% for both groups combined).
     
  • A higher proportion of Ontarians with mental health and addiction disabilities are separated or divorced (19.3%) than people with other disabilities overall (10.4%) and people without disabilities (7.1%). A smaller proportion of Ontarians with mental health or addiction disabilities are married or in a common-law relationship (45.6%) than people with other disabilities overall (60.6%) or people without disabilities (59.8%).
     
  • Ontarians with mental health and addiction disabilities generally report lower levels
    of education compared to people without disabilities:
    • Over a quarter of people with mental health and addiction disabilities (25.9%) and people with other disabilities (28.8%) have not completed high school. This compares to 16.4% of people without disabilities
    • A much smaller proportion of people with mental health and addiction disabilities have a university degree (8.5%) than people without disabilities (24.8%)  
    • A somewhat greater proportion of people with mental health and addiction disabilities have completed a college diploma or a trade certificate (33.9%) compared to people with other disabilities (29.1%) and people with no disabilities (30.7%).
       
  • Ontarians with mental health and addiction disabilities are more at risk of poverty than people without disabilities. A greater proportion (19.6%) are in low-income status compared to people with no disabilities (10.4%) and people with other disabilities (7.9%).
     
  • Ontarians with mental health and addiction disabilities are less likely to be in the labour force and more likely to be unemployed:
    • In 2011, 201,220 people, or 54% of people with mental health and addiction disabilities between the ages of 15 and 64, were not in the labour force, compared to 42.9% of people with other disabilities and 21% of people without disabilities
    • The unemployment rate of Ontarians aged 15-64 with mental health or addiction disabilities in 2011 (22.6%) was more than twice as high as Ontarians with other disabilities (9%), and almost three times higher than Ontarians without disabilities (7.7%).
       
  • Many people with disabilities perceive they have been discriminated against in employment, regardless of disability type. A substantially high proportion of people with mental health and addiction disabilities (67.7%) report being disadvantaged at work due to their condition.   

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