Mental Health

Substance Use Disorders

Key Messages
Hospital Admission Trends Over Time
Hospital Admissions by Age and Sex
Hospital Admissions and Marginalization
Emergency Department Visit Trends Over Time
Emergency Department Visits by Age and Sex
Emergency Department Visits and Marginalization
Reasons for Admission or Visit
Technical Notes

Key Messages

There was a 10% drop in substance use disorder-related emergency department visits in 2020 when compared with 2019, both locally and across the province. Prior to 2020, there was a steady and significant increasing trend in the rates. It is unclear if this decrease was due to changes in health care use and access during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The rate of substance use disorder hospital admissions increased significantly from 2017 to 2021.
Hospital admissions and emergency department visit rates are highest among males, young adults (aged 20 to 44) and in those who lived in areas with higher levels of deprivation.
The age-specific rates of hospital admissions were higher in Simcoe Muskoka than in Ontario, however, the rate of emergency department visits was lower in Simcoe Muskoka.

Hospital Admission Trends Over Time

In 2021, the age-standardized rate of substance use disorder-related hospital admissions was 123 (114.2, 132.6) per 100,000 persons in Simcoe Muskoka.
This is significantly higher than the Ontario rate of 102 (100.0, 103.3) per 100,000 persons.
In 2021, there were over 700 substance use disorder-related hospital admissions per year among Simcoe Muskoka residents, compared with approximately 520 in 2011.
From 2011 to 2017, the rate of substance use disorder-related hospital admissions among Simcoe Muskoka residents did not change significantly; however, from 2017 to 2021 the rate increased on average by approximately 5% per year. There was a steady and significant increase in the provincial rate of substance use disorder-related hospital admissions from 2011 to 2021, with an average annual increase in the rate of just under 5% per year.

MHSUD_Hosp_AgeStd2011to2015_20180329

Hospital Admissions by Age and Sex

For 2017 to 2021, combined, the age standardized rate of substance use disorder-related hospital admissions in Simcoe Muskoka among males was 149 (142.5, 155.2) per 100,000 persons.
This was significantly higher than the rate among females with 77 (72.4, 81.8) admissions per 100,000 persons.
Adults aged 20 to 44 years had the highest age-specific rate of substance use disorder-related hospital admissions, with 183.2 (174.5, 192.2) per 100,000 persons.
The pattern of age and sex-specific rates across Ontario were similar to the rates in Simcoe Muskoka.

MHSUD_Hosp_AgeStdbyGender_20180329

MHSUD_Hosp_AgeSpec_20180329

Hospital Admissions by Marginalization

Hospital admissions for substance use disorders were highest among people living in areas with the highest level of material deprivation.
From 2017 to 2021, there were 221 (205.4, 23.4) substance use disorder-related hospital admissions per 100,000 people who live in areas with the highest levels of material deprivation.

MHSUD_Hosp_AgeStdbyQuint

Emergency Department Visits Trends Over Time

The number of substance use disorder-related emergency department visits in Simcoe Muskoka residents doubled from around 1,700 in 2011 to 3,400 in 2021. Substance use disorder visits dropped to under 3,200 in 2020 but returned closer to pre-pandemic levels in 2021. It is unclear if these changes were due to changes in health care use and access during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The age-standardized rate for substance use disorder-related emergency department visits was 582 (562.8, 602.7) visits per 100,000 persons in 2021 among Simcoe Muskoka residents.
This was significantly lower than the provincial rate with 608 (604.0, 612.1) substance use disorder-related emergency department visits per 100,000 persons.

MHSUD_ED_AgeStd2011to2015_20180329

Emergency Department Visits by Age and Sex

From 2017 to 2021, there was a significantly higher rate of emergency department visits related to substance use disorders among males, with an age-standardized rate of 703 (689.4, 717.2) vists per 100,000 males compared to 443 (430.5, 453.4) visits per 100,000 among females in Simcoe Muskoka.
There was a wider gap in age-standardized rates between males and females provincially, compared to among Simcoe Muskoka residents.
Adults aged 20-44 had significantly higher rates of emergency department visits related to substance use disorder, with an age-specific rate of 1,032 (1,011.1, 1,052.9) visits per 100,000 persons in Simcoe Muskoka, and 1,079 (1,074.6, 1,082.8) visits per 100,000 persons in Ontario.
The lowest rates were among those aged 75 and older, with 128 (114.5, 143.3) visits per 100,000 persons in Simcoe Muskoka.

MHSUD_EmergDept_AgeStdbyGender

MHSUD_ED_AgeSpec_20180329

Emergency Department Visits and Marginalization

The age-standardized rate of substance use disorder-related emergency department visits was almost three times higher among those living in the most deprived areas with 1,123 visits per 100,000 population (1,087.0, 1,59.5) in Simcoe Muskoka compared to those living in the least deprived areas with 398 visits per 100,000 population (375.0, 422.3).

MHSUD_ED_AgeStd_MatDep

Reasons for Admission or Visit

The most common diagnoses among substance use disorder-related hospital admissions and emergency department visits were for alcohol-related disorders.

Technical Notes

Substance use disorders occur in situations of problematic substance use (alcohol and/or drugs) which lead to disruptions of daily living including health problems, disability, and failure to meet responsibilities. Substance use disorders are often diagnosed concurrent to other mental illnesses such as anxiety, and are often linked to prior stressful or traumatic events.

The specific diagnostic codes used to identify substance use disorder-related hospital admissions and emergency department visits are presented on the OMHRS data source page.