Today is the beginning of Mental Illness Awareness Week, and I'm
sitting here wondering what I am going to say for this. There are many
campaigns going on, and that's great to see, but it still has not hit the main
stream, and many people don't know about it, but many people are spreading the
word, and that brings me, and others hope.
I also think of the frustration of
having a mental illness. The frustration that if one has a physical illness,
people understand when you are not feeling well and need rest and self-care,
but when one has a mental illness they are often told, "You could do it if
you really wanted it bad enough."
Well, you have no idea "How bad I
really do not want
to have this Illness!!!"
This is one of the many reasons why we
need to start talking and have open and respectful dialogue around mental
illness. To bring education and research front and center, to bring it all out
of the shadows. To shine a light on it and get rid of the stigma and
misunderstandings. This will allow all affected by mental illness to move
forward.
This time last week I was preparing to go
away to the Children and Youth Mental Health and Substance Use Congress in
Kelowna. I was being sent by The F.O.R.C.E. society for kids mental health. I
didn't know what to expect, but let me tell you, it was amazing. And here is a
prime example of what moving forward looked like.
It was an amazing couple of days and I am
still digesting that time. I met amazing people, heard phenomenal speakers, and
met many courageous parents and youth. I could not get over the fact that I was
in a room with 300 other people, who believed as I did, that we need to talk
about this. By talking and being open, we can make change happen, In that room
were Parents, Youth, Doctors, People with lived experience, policy makers and
many other service providers. Here we were exchanging ideas, asking questions,
and all with the same goal. To do the best that we can for our Children and
Youth with mental health and substance use issues. We also know that it’s not
just the person who has the illness that is affected. It affects the whole
family.
At the end of the congress, we were asked
to do a survey, via smartphone/computer and one of the questions was “What are
you going to do by next Tuesday to make a change happen." As people
answered this, they answers were showing up on the 2 screens at the front of
the room. I had never seen anything like this before- being the techno dinosaur
that I am- but it was pretty amazing. Things like, talking to my M.L.A.,
talking to teachers, caregivers, school counselors, tell their stories and a
ton of other things. It was amazing to see what the 300 people in that room
said they were going to do, and it was pretty powerful. I thought, if this
group was going to do that, imagine what would happen if we could get a
fraction of the population making a commitment to make a change.
Needless to say, it gave me fuel to keep
doing what I am doing, and if it works out, to do even more. I no longer felt
like I was the only one trying to make a change. I knew I wasn't alone, but it
sure felt good to see, meet and hear others who also wanted change to happen,
and to all be in the same room.
We will all most likely be touched by
mental illness at some time in our life. Be it lived experience, family or
friend, co-worker, children and parents we work with etc. The list goes on. The
theory of the six degrees of separation states that “everyone and everything is
six or fewer steps away, by way of introduction, from any other person in the
world, so that a chain of "a friend of a friend" statements can be
made to connect any two people in a maximum of six steps"
This also applies to mental illness. With
the correct information, and by taking it out of the shadows and leaving the
stigma behind, we can support those with a mental illness and their families,
just like we support those with cancer, and their families.
So, as Mental Illness Awareness Week begins, think of what you can
do to make a change happen. It can be something as simple as talking to a co-worker
or friend you know who may be struggling and saying “I care” It may be
education yourself on how to support and help a friend. It may be going to the
links below and sharing them on Facebook and Twitter. It may be letting others
know, they are not alone, they are valued and there is hope and help out there.
Each and every one of us can make a difference. I have seen what
moving forward can look like, let’s do what we can to get mental illness out of
the shadows and into the light. To get rid of the stigma, to get the public and
policy makers talking about mental illness, and realize, it is an illness, not
a character flaw. And, as an illness, it deserves research and educational
funding, just as any other illness receives.
Those are my thoughts today, I wish you all well in your journey and may you never give up hope.
Cheers and be well
Suzy
Those are my thoughts today, I wish you all well in your journey and may you never give up hope.
Cheers and be well
Suzy
No comments:
Post a Comment