{"id":10800,"date":"2026-07-01T02:05:56","date_gmt":"2026-07-01T06:05:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/canadabiznews.ca\/press-releases\/pr\/mental-health-overtakes-prescription-refills-as-top-reason-canadians-use-virtual-care-new-data-shows\/"},"modified":"2026-07-01T02:05:56","modified_gmt":"2026-07-01T06:05:56","slug":"mental-health-overtakes-prescription-refills-as-top-reason-canadians-use-virtual-care-new-data-shows","status":"publish","type":"press-releases","link":"https:\/\/canadabiznews.ca\/press-releases\/pr\/mental-health-overtakes-prescription-refills-as-top-reason-canadians-use-virtual-care-new-data-shows\/","title":{"rendered":"Mental Health Overtakes Prescription Refills as Top Reason Canadians Use Virtual Care, New Data Shows"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
\"Raihan<\/a>\n

Raihan Masroor, Founder at Your Doctors Online<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\"A<\/a>\n

A growing number of young Canadians are turning to virtual care not for prescription refills, but for help with anxiety and depression. New data suggests mental health has become the leading reason patients seek care online.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
But the thing that jumps out in this data is how many young women are coming to us for anxiety and depression. A lot of them have nowhere else to turn that doesn’t involve a months-long wait.\u201d<\/b>\n
\u2014 Raihan Masroor, Founder of Your Doctors Online<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

TORONTO, ONTARIO, CANADA, June 30, 2026 \/EINPresswire.com<\/a>\/ — Your Doctors Online<\/a> (YDO), one of Canada\u2019s largest and fastest-growing virtual care platforms, today released an analysis of patient consultation data covering January 1 through June 9, 2026. Drawn from more than 32,000 active cases, the findings reveal growing demand for mental health<\/a> support among Canadians, particularly younger adults who are increasingly turning to digital platforms as their primary point of medical contact.<\/p>\n

Mental health emerged as the leading consultation category on the YDO platform in the first half of 2026. Anxiety and depression together accounted for more than 5,600 consultations in just over five months \u2014 surpassing prescription refills<\/a>, lab result reviews, and every other category of patient contact combined.<\/p>\n

Behind those numbers is a high volume of consultations from young adults between the ages of 18 and 34, and disproportionately women, who are reaching out for care.<\/p>\n

Among YDO’s most common consultation reasons in the first half of 2026, anxiety and depression stood out as the dominant drivers of patient demand. Anxiety alone generated 3,350 consultations \u2014 77% involving female patients \u2014 while depression accounted for a further 2,274 consultations, with women comprising 82% of that total.<\/p>\n

The 18\u201334 cohort is particularly striking. This age group accounts for 2,455 anxiety consultations and 1,822 depression consultations \u2014 dwarfing every other demographic segment. Adults aged 35\u201354 represent the second-largest group (747 anxiety, 372 depression), while those 55 and over account for a comparatively small fraction of mental health contacts.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe built Your Doctors Online so that where you live wouldn’t decide what care you can get,\u201d said Raihan Masroor, Founder of Your Doctors Online. \u201cBut the thing that jumps out in this data is how many young women are coming to us for anxiety and depression. A lot of them have nowhere else to turn that doesn’t involve a months-long wait. That should tell us something about the state of mental health care right now.\u201d<\/p>\n

The pattern in YDO\u2019s data aligns closely with what front-line clinicians have been observing across Canada\u2019s healthcare system \u2014 a sustained demand for mental health support that far outpaces available resources, and a particular concentration of need among younger adults navigating the economic, social, and psychological pressures of post-pandemic life.<\/p>\n

YDO\u2019s data arrives against a backdrop of well-documented strain on Canada\u2019s mental health infrastructure. According to national health authorities, wait times for publicly funded mental health services can stretch from several months to over a year in many provinces. For a 24-year-old in the middle of an anxiety crisis, or a 28-year-old who has just run out of antidepressants and cannot get a same-week appointment, virtual care has become a vital safety net.<\/p>\n

Top consultation reasons, YDO platform \u2014 Jan 1 to Jun 9, 2026:<\/p>\n

>Anxiety \u2014 3,350 cases (77% female; 18\u201334 age group accounts for 73% of cases)
>Depression \u2014 2,274 cases (82% female; 18\u201334 age group accounts for 80% of cases)
>Lab results review and requisitions \u2014 1,818 cases (61% female)
>Prescription refills \u2014 1,292 cases (54% female, 46% male \u2014 most balanced split across all categories)
>Patient needs assistance \u2014 410 cases
>Nutrition consultation \u2014 293 cases (73% female; primarily weight management and metabolic health)<\/p>\n

Methodology Note:
All data referenced in this release represents total consultations, not unique individuals, as single patients may have multiple interactions. Data is fully anonymized and aggregated at the population level. No patient names, contact details, or personally identifiable information of any kind are collected, stored, or referenced. YDO’s data practices comply with the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA) and applicable provincial health information legislation.<\/p>\n

Note on Gender Data: Analysts note that the stark gender split reflects help-seeking behavior as much as clinical need. Research consistently shows men are less likely to reach out for mental health support, meaning male numbers within telehealth data likely understate the actual scope of need.<\/p>\n

Vivek Seal
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Raihan Masroor, Founder at Your Doctors Online A growing number of young Canadians are turning to virtual care not for prescription refills, but for help with anxiety and depression. New data suggests mental health has become the leading reason patients seek care online. But the thing that jumps out in this data is how many … Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":10801,"template":"","class_list":["post-10800","press-releases","type-press-releases","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/canadabiznews.ca\/press-releases\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/press-releases\/10800","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/canadabiznews.ca\/press-releases\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/press-releases"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/canadabiznews.ca\/press-releases\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/press-releases"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/canadabiznews.ca\/press-releases\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/10801"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/canadabiznews.ca\/press-releases\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10800"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}