CMAJ : Canadian Medical Association journal = journal de l'Association medicale canadienne
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Mental illness is widely perceived to be more of a public health concern now than in the past; however, it is unclear whether this perception is due to an increase in the prevalence of mental illness, an increase in help-seeking behaviours or both. We examined temporal trends in use of mental health services as well as objectively measured and perceived mental health. ⋯ Given the stable prevalence of objectively measured psychiatric symptoms, the increase in use of mental health services appears to be, at least partly, explained by an increase in perceived poor mental health and help-seeking behaviours.