“We need to ensure that the decisions about which drugs are covered are informed by those who understand the day-to-day realities of treating mental illnesses.” – Health System Roundtable Participant

Mood Disorders Society of Canada (MDSC) commissioned a recent report, System Broken, with a key finding that medications for mental illnesses face a dramatically higher rate of negative reimbursement recommendations from Canada’s Drug Agency (CDA-AMC, formerly CADTH) compared to those for other disorders (54% vs 17% respectively).

To address this gap, MDSC recently led a first-of-its kind roundtable of health system experts, including the CDA-AMC and other stakeholders, which resulted in three recommendations for the path forward, listed below. Learn more about the recommendations, and how MDSC is tackling the issue in our MDSC Health System Roundtable Recommendations document. MDSC is actively collaborating with the CDA-AMC to advance the recommendations.

Canada is facing a widespread and growing mental health crisis, which has been exacerbated by the global pandemic. To make matters worse, the Canadian healthcare system is facing significant challenges in providing access to support and resources for individuals with mental illness. For those Canadians living with mental illness, medication can be a critical part of the healing and recovery journey (along with peer support, psychotherapy, lifestyle changes and alternative therapies).

However, despite the existence of publicly funded healthcare services, people with mental illness continue to face barriers to accessing medications for mental illnesses.

To identify those barriers, Mood Disorders Society of Canada (MDSC) commissioned a recent report, System Broken: How Public Drug Coverage is Failing Canadians with Mental Illness / Système brisé : Dans quelle mesure la couverture publique des médicaments ne répond-elle pas aux besoins des Canadiens atteints de maladies mentales?, which revealed the stark reality that public access to the newest medications for mental illnesses has been hampered by a complex system that takes too long and results in inequitable access – or in many cases, no access at all.

We recognize the importance of amplifying the voices of those who have personally experienced the challenges of accessing medications for mental illnesses. We believe that individuals with lived experience can serve as powerful spokespeople to shed light on the realities faced by countless Canadians. To learn more please view the video below:

Mood Disorders Society of Canada launched its report publicly in 2023 with over 52 million reads, views and listens by Canadians from 46 different pieces of media coverage. Clearly this was/is an issue that matters to Canadians! Read the media release: English, French. You can also view some of the media coverage via the links below.

In the Fall of 2024, MDSC spread the word by presenting a scientific poster at the CDA-AMC Symposium on September 4, 2024.

At the Symposium, MDSC also addressed similar topics on two separate panel presentations on September 5, 2024: https://www.cda-amc.ca/2024-symposium-preliminary-program.

PANEL SESSION 4 – Hybrid

Help us make a difference in the lives of countless Canadians struggling with mental illness. Your voice can amplify our message. Share our social media posts to help spread the word across your networks. Together, we can work towards a healthcare system that ensures everyone has access to the treatments they require. Let’s break down the barriers to better access to better mental health care. #SystemBroken #AccessToMeds

Collaborating with all stakeholders, including government, will help to create strategies to improve Canadians’ access to medications for mental illness. This collaboration is why MDSC is actively working with the CDA-AMC on addressing the issue together.

As a non-profit organization, Mood Disorders Society of Canada (MDSC) does not have core funding or ongoing government funding. We rely on project financial support to enable us to conduct important patient-centered research activities. MDSC would like to express our appreciation for project financial support, including educational grants, from the following companies that enabled our work on this project: AbbVie, Eisai Canada, Johnson & Johnson, Biogen, Takeda, Innovative Medicines Canada, Idorsia, Boehringer Ingelheim Canada, Teva Canada, and Lundbeck–Otsuka Alliance. Should any government body, corporate entity, or other organization wish to financially support this effort (in a similar arm’s length, non-influencing manner as our current funders) please contact us at info@mdsc.ca.