Mental Health Matters: The power of your words

By Medicine Hat News on April 7, 2018.

“That does not happen here.”

Five of the most deadly words when it comes to talking about mental illness and addiction which are, unfortunately, more commonly used than we would like to think. People often hear mental health and immediately couple it with mental illness. Further, the picture of mental illness appears as a person in a gown, eyes darting back and forth, speaking to the voices they hear in their head while pacing a padded room. This picture is what society has given us. As a generation, we are at a disadvantage because we are constantly submerged in media. I would go so far as to say we cannot function without it; it is either get on board or get left behind. This forces us to accept what we are given, which are movies about mentally ill people who turn out to be murderers. This means news coverage does not centre on the person with addictions who was killed, or the person with mental illness who died by suicide. Our discussion about mental illness never seems to include the individuals who are well-functioning, contributing and successful members of society.

The messages we are given about mental illness are not ones we necessarily choose — we are a product of our environment and as much progress as we have made, we still fall chronically short of acceptance and innovative ability to support individuals who are struggling. With the statistic for mental illness being one in four, those five words are the biggest lie you have been told or that you tell yourself. It is more than likely you interact with people who have mental illness or addiction on a daily basis; your friend, teacher, grocery clerk, taxi driver, the person behind you in line. Mental illness does not have to be debilitating or render you incapable of completing routine daily tasks; with the right kind of help a vast majority will be successful and able to lead functional lives. The person with mental illness and the person with addiction is still a person; they are worthy of love and connection and they are still somebody’s daughter, father, cousin, friend or partner. We shy away from what we fear and that is not wrong, but not doing our due diligence to know the facts is where we can assume the responsibility.

It is undeniable that mental illness exists; we cannot ignore the research despite what some media presents or what we are told. Take the initiative to be informed, and understand what your role can be in creating a community of understanding and respect for the inherent humanity we all share. There is a fine line between those who are well and those who are not, and it is our duty as community to fight for the humanness we all share. Sift through the misconceptions and myths and participate in the action to become a safe person; take a minute to ask those around “how are you doing today?” You get to choose which five words you use and I hope you would choose the five that recognize the people who just need a single person to recognize who they are and what they are struggling with.

“Be kind, for everyone is fighting a battle you know nothing about” -Robin Williams

Shelby Haga is a practicum student at Canadian Mental Health finishing her diploma of Social Work. If you are interested in learning more about mental health or about the programs offered through Canadian Mental Health, contact Paula at pbromley@cmha-aser.ca or call the office at 403-504-1811. Visit us online at http://www.cmha-aser.ca.

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