Challenging stigma around mental illness
“Mental illness is nothing to be ashamed of, but stigma and bias shame us all.”
- Bill Clinton
Every day, millions of different people from all walks of life struggle with mental illness from schizophrenia to depression to anxiety and beyond. And while the symptoms of these illnesses can have a profound impact on their lives, even more difficult are the fearful reactions that people can have towards those illnesses. We know so much more about mental health than we did even a decade ago but old attitudes and misconceptions linger; many people live in fear that they will be judged, that they will lose their jobs, their friends, if it were known that they had mental health problems… And one of the most widely believed myths about mental illness is that it is somehow that person’s fault, that it was some character flaw that caused the illness, and that they are untrustworthy, incompetent or unable to take care of themselves.
And it’s not just about being judged by others. Often people suffering from mental illnesses may be afraid to seek out treatment, perhaps because they are afraid of the reactions of others, perhaps because they see needing help as weak.
But it doesn’t have to be that way.
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One out of every three Canadians will experience a temporary emotional problem. One in six lives with a mental illness. Mental illness can affect anyone, but someone living with a mental illness can be just as successful and productive as anyone else and can be a fully productive member of society especially when they have the chance to interact with others in normal living situations, without public prejudice.
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Recently, three SFU students participated in a project with the Canadian Mental Health Association to produce videos where they talk about their personal experiences with serious mental illnesses. They talk about how they were diagnosed, the stigma they faced and how they’ve managed to get back to school or work. One of the students, Brent Seal, tells the story about how after being diagnosed with schizophrenia, he was dejected and started looking for success stories about people who had overcome their mental illness and couldn’t really find any… so he decided to write his own. (click here for their YouTube channel, here for their story on CBC News)
Those three students are also part of The Lowdown, a speakers’ bureau run by the Mood Disorder Association of BC. They also founded Students for Mental Wellness, an SFU student group that aims “to see a community in which people with mental conditions are not defined by their diagnosis, but by the life they lead.” This year, they’ll also be running a hiking program, where they’ll take groups every two weeks on 2-4-day hiking excursions in sites all over SW BC. It does cost money ($75 if you register and pay before Sept. 24th), but anyone from 18-30 can participate. More details on their site!
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Thanks to all of you who showed up at the World Suicide Prevention Day event at the Vancouver Art Gallery! For those of you on Vancouver Island who wished you could’ve made it, you’re in luck: the Central Vancouver Island Crisis Society will be holding a special awareness event as part of World Suicide Prevention Week called Soles Remembering Souls at Nanaimo’s Port Theatre on September 12th at 3pm. The event will include a wall where people can post their pictures, poems, quotes for each other; music; speeches; a multimedia video presentation; and a “letting go” bubble-blowing ceremony.
And yes, they invite you to bring a pair of new or gently used shoes in memory of the loved one you lost to suicide. All shoes will be donated to those in need as a reminder that none of us ever has to walk alone.
