RESEARCH · MENTAL HEALTH
1 in 3 Canadian nurses has had suicidal ideation; 1 in 12 a past attempt.
Mental health is the most YMYL-sensitive of the nursing-conditions domains. Stelnicki et al.'s 2020 pan-Canadian study (n=7,358) — the gold-standard pre-pandemic baseline — found 33% of nurses had experienced suicidal ideation in their lifetime, 8% had attempted, and 36% screened positive for major depression. The mental-health benefits Canadian nurses can actually access (typically 8–12 sessions/year of psychotherapy) are far below the evidence-based dose for trauma or depression.
The figures
BACKGROUND — Stelnicki et al. 2020 · n=7,358
1 in 3
Canadian nurses report lifetime suicidal ideation; 1 in 12 a past attempt
BACKGROUND — Stelnicki et al. 2020 · n=7,358
36%
of Canadian nurses screened positive for major depression — even before the pandemic
BACKGROUND — MHCC 2022
$1,500
average yearly cap on psychotherapy in employer benefits — about 8 to 12 sessions
Frequently asked
- How common is suicidal ideation among Canadian nurses?
- Roughly 1 in 3 Canadian nurses report having experienced suicidal ideation at some point in their lifetime (Stelnicki et al., 2020, n=7,358). 1 in 12 (8%) report a past attempt. If you are in crisis right now, call 9-8-8.
- How much mental-health coverage do Canadian nurses get?
- Most provincial collective agreements cap mental-health benefits at $1,500/year — roughly 8 to 12 therapy sessions, far below the evidence-based dose for trauma or major depression (Mental Health Commission of Canada, 2022).
- Did the pandemic make this worse?
- Yes. CFNU 2025 found 1 in 3 Canadian nurses now meets the clinical threshold for both anxiety and burnout (n=4,736). 1 in 6 Quebec healthcare workers who caught COVID-19 developed long COVID (IJID 2025).