Let’s Talk

Karen Janigan is a senior communications officer with the IWK Foundation

Bell Canada is running an anti-stigma campaign with Olympic medalist Clara Hughes encouraging Canadians to talk about mental health and help eliminate its stigma. She talks about suffering from depression, and I am sure that her openness will guide others who may struggle with depression to get help and share their experience.

The communications giant has also committed $50 million over 5 years for toward mental health initiatives, and declared today (Feb 9) Let`s Talk Day. It will contribute five cents for every text message and long distance calls made by Bell and Bell Aliant customers today to mental health initiatives in Canada, and has provided a Let’s Talk portal at http://www.bell.ca/letstalk.

I would be surprised if at least one of the next five people you meet has not coped with either depression or its evil twin, anxiety. I am one of them.

In the 80`s I left journalism for a while and took a job as a business manager in a high definition company. I was way over my head! The combination of trying to learn and apply things at the same time, the aftermath of my last journalism job and – when I finally counted — about 15 cups of coffee a day – fuelled anxiety (and my perfectionism) and lead to a full-blown panic attack.

I was walking up crowded Yonge St. in Toronto to meet my new doctor, feeling invisible, sad, anxious and angry. I wanted someone to ask me for money so I could hit them, and I wanted someone to ask what was wrong, so I could break down. I had no idea why I felt so out of whack and strange. But I hated it.

My new doctor (did I mention she was from Halifax) was very perceptive and cancelled the scheduled physical (I was too jumpy to be touched) and talked to me, instead. She explained that it appeared that I was having a panic attack. It took more than that session to learn to get at the root of the anxiety, but it came with therapy. And way less coffee.

At the time, I was incredibly embarrassed about needing help, now I am pretty open about it. I think this openness meant I was able to persuade another who had a panic attack in front of me to seek some help. In turn, he shared his experience with friends and colleagues who seemed to be overwhelmed and angry, lessening the stigma for them to get help.

Talking does break down stigma. We have a long way to go, but at least we are moving in the right direction. So let`s talk.

Hope

Nicole Fraughton is the public relations co-ordinator for Mental Health & Addictions at the IWK Health Centre. This blog is reprinted with permission from an internal IWK Health Centre blog

During Mental Illness Awareness Week (October 3-9)  I was handing out cake and green ribbons which have the slogan, “Child and Youth Mental Health Matters” in the Gallery. Many of you know that we hold these celebrations three times a year to raise awareness about Mental Illness and Addictions but every time we hold one of these celebrations in support of one of the awareness weeks (Mental Health week in May, Mental Illness Awareness Week in October and Addictions Awareness Week in November) we have a different story to tell. I am so happy to say that I can sum up today’s celebration in one word, “Hope”.

So many people approached me to tell their own stories of how mental illness has affected them and their families. Usually when I am approached by a staff member, or family member it is in my office but this was in the very public Goldbloom Pavilion. Wow, how things are starting to change! It is amazing to witness this change in attitude toward mental illness and addictions in the past few years. The fact that people are willing to talk about their stories in a very public place where others may overhear them is a testament to the changing attitude towards mental health and addictions.

Many stories I hear are not only about the struggle with mental illness or addiction but also the stigma they are faced with once their coworkers, family and friends learn that they or their family members have a mental illness. This stigma is unacceptable. It is the reason my own brother suffered in silence for years. Through awareness weeks such as this one and so many other initiatives that are ongoing we are starting to make a difference.

The beginning of October, The Digby Clare Mental Health Volunteer Association announced that it received $10,000 in funds through an IWK Community Grant towards the purchase of handbooks that are aimed at changing attitudes about mental health. The books are called When Something’s Wrong — Strategies for Teachers and When Something’s Wrong — Strategies for Parents. Two copies of each of the manuals will be placed in each resource room in schools throughout the Tri-County regional school board.

Recently there have also been a few announcements from Bell Canada and Canada Post in which they pledged large amounts of funding that will be used to help support treatment programs for mental illness and addictions as well as education and awareness programs aimed at reducing stigma. With the support of our own IWK community as well as national funding initiatives we are being given the tools to change the misperceptions and misunderstandings that surround mental illness.

I am so proud of the progress my brother has  made in the past few years with his illness, but the stories he tells me of how he has been mistreated by some people in the community has made me angry and sad. However, it also gives me the drive to try and make a change in our community.  I hope that you will be inspired to make a change in yourself, your family or your community. Every step towards creating a better understanding and reducing stigma is a positive one.