Grant: Project Grant

People with cystic fibrosis (CF) are now living longer than ever before, thanks to advances in treatment and care. In Canada, the median survival age for someone with CF is now over 62 years. While this is a remarkable success, it also brings new challenges. Managing a lifelong, complex disease can take a serious toll on mental health. Depression, anxiety, and other mental health conditions are common in people with CF, yet little is known about how often and for what mental health reasons people seek help, or how often they are prescribed psychiatric medications. This research will be the first in Canada to study how people with CF use mental health services over time, including visits to doctors, emergency departments, and hospital stays for mental health reasons. We will also examine how often psychiatric medications are prescribed, and by which types of healthcare providers. We will compare the mental health care needs of people with CF to those of people with other chronic diseases, like asthma or inflammatory bowel disease, and to individuals without chronic disease. This will help us understand if the mental health burden in CF is unique or part of a larger pattern seen in chronic illness. Finally, because new CF medications called modulators may affect mood and mental health, we will look at whether mental health care use changes before and after starting these treatments. This study will help CF care teams, family doctors, and policy makers plan better mental health services for people living with CF. It will also highlight areas where additional support is needed, ensuring that mental health is considered an essential part of CF care for all ages.