Get therapy or pay rent? Millennials, Gen Z making hard choices when it comes to mental health | CBC News

Cash-strapped Millennials and Gen Zers have been grappling with soaring rents and rising costs of living, which means that to make ends meet, things like therapy are being treated as luxuries, mental health experts say.

“If I had to spend $80 a week on therapy, I would not. I have too many other responsibilities,” said 36-year-old Steven Lecky, noting he prioritizes things like covering his mortgage to keep a roof over his family’s head.

“I’m already at a state where I have to choose whether to save a little bit of money or have any social life,” he said. “If I do want to go out, I have to really pinch my pennies.”

According to mental health experts, many young adults have said their lives lack meaning or purpose, with financial stress, food and housing insecurity, unemployment, loneliness and pressure to achieve among the leading causes of anxiety and depression. And experts suggest they’re often not getting the help they need to deal with those mental health issues. 

• Has paying for essentials stopped you from seeking mental health care? Send an email to ask@cbc.ca

“When we look at the hierarchy of needs, food, water and shelter are the most basic necessities,” said Jessica Kristy, a registered social worker at the online therapy practice Shift Collab.

“So, if groceries are rising in prices and the cost of living is getting higher and the basic needs aren’t being met, then it’s a threat to safety and people are in survival mode.”

Data released from the Canadian Institute for Health Information earlier this year shows 29 per cent of Canadians 18 and older said they’d experienced depression, anxiety or another mental health condition in 2023, up from 20 per cent in 2016.

On average, private therapy costs $150 per hour, but rates can range from anywhere between $60 to $250 depending on various factors. So even if a person was looking to have two therapy sessions a month, that could add up to $3,600 annually.

The average income for Canadians between the ages of 25-54 is $68,000, according to Statistics Canada. So once rent, groceries and bills are paid, there isn’t much left for therapy.

Living or barely surviving

People are working hard to make ends meet and changing their expectations of what they thought their lives would look like, Kristy said, noting that being unable to obtain their goals can lead people to feel behind in life, and trying to catch up can eventually result in burnout.

It can mean feeling like you’re stuck in a loop, mental health professionals say, with the stresses of life sometimes leading to the need for therapy, and being unable to afford therapy leading to more stress and anxiety. 

“It’s anxiety provoking not knowing if you can pay rent in a given month, if you can pay for food, if you’re going to have a partner, what the future holds,” said Dr. Natasha Saunders, a physician, who is also a scientist at Ontario-based ICES, formerly known as the Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences.

A lot of people are also out of work and having a hard time finding jobs, with Canada’s unemployment rate rising to 6.6 per cent in August. This is the highest it’s been since 2017, excluding the volatile swings of the pandemic.

This is a generation that has been seeing more unemployment and job uncertainty early on in their careers just as they’re trying to establish themselves, said Dr. Saunia Ahmad, director and clinical psychologist at the Toronto Psychology Clinic.

“There is greater vulnerability and impact for Gen Z and Millennials with the uncertainty in work and rising cost of living, causing them a lot of stress. And when there is increased stress and lower resources, people are more likely to have mental health issues,” she said.

For Toronto-based singer-songwriter Aditi Kujur, 32, it seems unfair that people might have to put off therapy if they don’t have money or resources.

“What do they do and where do they go,” she asked. “Accessing therapy honestly feels more like a luxury because of how expensive it can get.”

WATCH | Financial constraints a major obstacle to accessing care: 

Affordability poses a barrier to receiving care, social worker says

Jessica Kristy, registered social worker at online therapy practice Shift Collab, spoke to CBC News and said that often people delay sessions or have to drop out of therapy because they run out of insurance and have to pay out of pocket.

Barriers to accessing therapy

According to mental health experts CBC spoke to, one of the biggest barriers to seeking care is the cost. They noted that there’s also not enough funding and staffing for mental health in the public health sector, which can lead to exceedingly long wait times.

“In terms of quality of care, public and private are both equally good,” Ahmad said, adding that the issue in the public sector is that there’s not enough staff, and often people require more sessions than are covered.

Some people prefer to see private practitioners because they’re flexible in terms of when they can meet, waiting lists are either short or non-existent and people can choose someone who can address their particular need.

Those who are fortunate enough to have insurance or benefits usually only have enough to cover a few sessions, said Kristy, the social worker. After that, out of pocket expenses could be more than what they expected, even if a sliding scale is offered. This means they could end up delaying sessions or dropping out just when progress is being made, she says.

And though mental health has been vastly destigmatized, experts say it’s still not being treated in the same light as a physical illness, though it can be equally debilitating.

Consequences of delaying care

“Early intervention is critical,” said Jo Henderson, the executive director of Youth Wellness Hubs Ontario and a scientist at CAMH, adding that young people very often delay seeking help until things get out of control. And the consequences of delaying getting help is worse.

Young adulthood is a peak time for mental health difficulties to emerge, Henderson said in an interview with CBC News, as that’s when people are trying to navigate relationships along with education, employment and housing, and very often struggle to cope with all of them.

WATCH | Expert calls early intervention ‘critical’: 

Expert warns of consequences in delaying seeking mental health help

The impact of not being able to access therapy when you need it has the potential to change a person’s developmental trajectory, Jo Henderson, executive director of Youth Wellness Hubs Ontario and CAMH scientist told CBC News.

“The impact of not being able to access therapy when you need it, especially if you are in that developmental stage of adolescence or early adulthood is significant,” Henderson said.

“It not only has an impact on mental health, but it also has the potential to change their developmental trajectory.”

Henderson also says not being able to access mental health care could have long-term consequences, such as university students being unable to finish their studies, or employees being unable to perform their work duties.

If you or someone you know is struggling, here’s where to get help:

This guide from the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health outlines how to talk about suicide with someone you’re worried about.