Stigma Surrounding Mental Health Drives Canadians to Seek ‘Virtual’ Help

In Canada, virtual care has traditionally been associated with prescription renewals, minor illnesses, and the convenience of consulting a doctor from home. However, new data indicates that Canadians are increasingly turning to telehealth for a more urgent need: mental health support.

An analysis by Canadian virtual care provider Your Doctors Online (YDO) reveals that anxiety and depression have become the platform’s leading consultation categories, surpassing prescription refills, lab result reviews, and other common reasons patients seek online care.

The findings are based on an analysis of 32,131 active consultations from January 1 to June 9, 2026. YDO recorded 3,350 consultations for anxiety treatment and 2,274 for depression treatment. Combined, these two conditions accounted for over 5,600 consultations in just over five months, making mental health the single largest area of patient demand on the platform.

Younger adults, particularly women, are driving this trend.

Adults aged 18 to 34 accounted for 2,455 anxiety consultations and 1,822 depression consultations—significantly higher than any other age group. Women made up 77 percent of anxiety consultations and 82 percent of depression consultations.

In comparison, prescription refills accounted for 1,292 consultations during the same period, while lab result reviews generated 1,818 consultations.

“We created Your Doctors Online to ensure that the location where you live does not limit your access to care,” said Raihan Masroor, founder of YDO. “What stands out in this data is the number of young women seeking help for anxiety and depression.” And though Masroor believes that many of these patients feel they have nowhere else to turn and choose online consultation instead, mental health experts attribute part of this trend to the stigma attached to mental health issues in society, which makes online the best option.

These findings reflect broader trends in Canada’s healthcare system.

Statistics Canada consistently reports that young women are among the groups most likely to face mental health challenges and seek professional help. However, access to timely care remains a persistent issue, with many Canadians experiencing long wait times for publicly funded counseling and community-based mental health services.

These challenges are compounded by rising housing costs, financial uncertainty, workplace stress, and the lasting social effects of the pandemic—factors that researchers link to a decline in mental well-being among younger adults.

As Canada faces a growing demand for mental healthcare, these findings suggest that virtual care is no longer just an alternative to visiting a clinic. For many Canadians, it has become one of the fastest—and sometimes only—ways to connect with a licensed healthcare professional when they need support the most.