Faculty members and students learn about mental health supports in Edmonton at a booth fair for Mental Health Awareness Week.
They are health issues all too commonly talked about in whispers, if at all. According to the Canadian Mental Health Association, one in five Canadians will at some point in their lives struggle with their mental health. Sadly, many will never seek professional help.
"There's a stigma around it in society," says Megan Howlett, a first-year medical student in the University of Alberta's Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry. "People don't really want to talk about it or want to hush it aside. I think many people throw a lot of blame on others suffering from mental health issues and it shouldn't be that way."
Howlett is one of several medical student organizers hoping to shine a spotlight on mental health problems during the Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry's Mental Health Awareness Week, which runs from March 9 to 13.
"It's really important for us to bring people out and talk about their experiences. That way, people who are experiencing mental health problems can connect to that and understand that's it's okay and that there are these resources out there for them."
The week-long initiative annually attracts hundreds of students, faculty members, health-care workers and members of the public. Each day of the week attendees can participate in workshops that seek to educate about mental health issues ranging from anxiety to addictions to depression. The goal of the event is to start a conversation.
"The talks aren't medicalized at all," says Joseph Dimitry, another of the student organizers. "They're aimed at promoting understanding that people with mental illness are just humans who are sick."
Along with the workshops, organizers are holding a booth session March 9 where attendees can learn about the resources available in Edmonton for people struggling with mental illness. There will also be an open mic night named "Monologues of Mental Health", at Dewey's Lounge on campus, for students and their family members. Those in attendance are given the chance to speak freely about their own experiences with mental health without fear of judgment.
Dimitry says for many, it's the highlight of the week. "Last year people got up and talked about some things they'd never talked about before-their own struggles with depression, their own struggles with eating disorders. It was a really powerful and emotional night."
The students hope that, by talking about mental health, the stigma will be lessened and more people will seek help.
"What I'd like to see is people being able to talk about mental illness like they talk about a broken leg or the flu, instead of suffering in silence," says Dimitry. "The point is to get help early while it's still controllable."
A full schedule for the week's events can be found on the Mental Health Awareness facebook page.