Mental Illness Awareness Week

October 3 – 9, 2021 marks Mental Illness Awareness Week. This is an annual, national campaign designed to bring awareness to the realities of mental illness to all Canadians, and was established in 1992 by the Canadian Psychiatric Association. This year’s theme for Mental Illness Awareness Week is Embrace, Celebrate and Connect.

It is essential that we bring awareness to mental health concerns and illnesses this week, and every week. We know that many people do not seek help when they are experiencing difficulty with their mental health because they don’t feel that anyone would understand, or that they will be negatively judged. Normalizing these conversations about our mental health is an important part of helping people to see that they are not alone, and is also a huge part of reducing the stigma surrounding mental illness. 

We need to look at mental illness as an invisible disability. It is helpful for people to hear that just because someone looks fine, it doesn’t mean that they are. And it is just as important that we seek help for a mental illness, just as we would for a physical illness.

The Mental Health Commission of Canada (MHCC) reports that more than one in five Canadians will experience a mental health problem or illness in any given year. More than 6.7 million people in Canada are living with a mental health problem or illness today. As a comparison, there are 2.2 million people in Canada living with type 2 Diabetes. By the time people reach the age of 40, 1 in 2 people in Canada are either currently living with a mental illness, or have previously experienced a mental illness. If we think about families and caregivers, mental health problems and illnesses impact almost everyone in some way. Most of us know at least one person who is experiencing concerns with their mental health. A study commissioned by the MHCC reports that mental health problems and illnesses have an economic cost to Canada of at least $50 billion per year.

In recognition of Mental Illness Awareness Week, CMHA HKPR is pleased to offer a virtual Mental Health 101 workshop, on October 7, 2021 at 6 p.m. This workshop is being offered at no charge, and will be delivered via Zoom. Please register for this event at the following link: https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/mental-health-101-tickets-182895414107.

If you are feeling overwhelmed, anxious, or depressed, reach out for help. Four County Crisis provides a continuum of comprehensive crisis response services to individuals with a serious mental illness, mental health concerns, and individuals in crisis. Crisis support is available to individuals sixteen years of age or older in the counties of Peterborough, City of Kawartha Lakes, Northumberland and Haliburton. To reach Four County Crisis, please call 705-745-6484 or toll-free 1-866-995-9933. By phoning these numbers, you can access 24-hour, free, confidential crisis support.