More and more Quebecers experiencing distress are using the Info-Social 811 service. In five years, the number of calls has increased by 114%. The question now is whether this is good news or bad news. Or both.
The number of calls increased from 301,088 in the 2018-2019 financial year to 644,873 in the year ending on 1er last April. A “significant” increase in the eyes of the Ministry of Health and Social Services (MSSS).
Info-Social is a complementary service to Info-Santé. It is available seven days a week and 24 hours a day. When you call 811, three options are offered: Info-Santé, Info-Social and, since 2022, the Frontline Access Desk.
The Info-Social service is aimed at people who are experiencing psychosocial problems of all kinds: an episode of anxiety, worries about a loved one, bereavement, etc. Social workers can give advice, answer questions or refer the person to another service when necessary.
The MSSS believes that the increase in the number of calls received by the Info-Social service is good news: it shows that its efforts to make it better known are bearing fruit. “The establishments in the network […] “see a direct link between the promotion carried out on various platforms and the increased use of the service,” its spokesperson told Duty.
More distress?
Can we also conclude that there is increasing distress in Quebec? “This can tend to indicate, indeed, that the needs are increasing,” says Christine Grou, president of the Ordre des psychologues du Québec, who specifies, however, that this is a “hypothesis.”
Like the ministry, Mme Grou believes that the Info-Social service is becoming more and more well-known, which is a good thing. However, she wonders what happens to users after they call.
The statistics do not say “whether people got a response”, “whether they were satisfied with the response, whether they were referred to a service and whether it was the right service”, says the president of the Order of Psychologists. “For many people, for many families, it is still an obstacle course. And once you are referred, how long do you wait to get a service?”
According to the ministry’s dashboard, 16,770 people are waiting for front-line mental health services in Quebec, a figure that has increased by nearly 5,000 since April 2021. But the number of young people on this list has fallen over the same period, from 3,745 to 2,911.
Using 811 is at the heart of the mental health strategy deployed by the Ministry responsible for Social Services, Lionel Carmant. Since taking office, he has repeated that not all people in distress need access to psychologists and psychiatrists, and that other professionals can offer services.
The effects of the pandemic
In his responses to the Dutythe ministry also mentions that “the pandemic period has helped increase awareness of the Info-Social service.” However, the increase has continued well beyond this difficult period. In the last year alone, the number of calls has increased by 20%.
This is not surprising, according to Christine Grou. “Unfortunately,” the effects of the pandemic “last longer than the reach of the virus itself.” “We forget it, but there are people who have lost loved ones they were not able to see. There are people who have lost fortunes. There are people who have lost their homes. There are families that have split up… We must not forget that.” […] It’s not as bad as it was two years ago, but there are still after-effects.”
She adds that “well before the pandemic, mental health services were very insufficient,” due in part to the exodus of psychologists from the public network. In Quebec, 37% of the 9,291 members of the Order practiced exclusively in the private sector in 2022-2023.
“We are probably less in a state of emergency than we were in terms of mental health, but the fact remains that the gap has probably widened a little bit.”
The Info-Social service has been gradually developing since 2015. First established in Montreal, it was subsequently offered throughout Quebec. The Info-Santé service was created in 1992.