Mental Health Matters: How you can help and support someone with a mental illness

By Kayleah Robbins on October 5, 2019.

We have likely all heard of the hashtag Bell Let’s Talk, which comes about each year at the end of January. The use of the hashtag gets us to speak more openly about the impacts of mental illness in our own lives and on our loved ones. But did you know that for an entire week in October it is what we call Mental Illness Awareness Week in Canada?

For those who have not heard of it, Mental Illness Awareness Week is an annual public education campaign designed to open the eyes of Canadians to the reality of mental illness. The week was originally established in 1992 by the Canadian Psychiatric Association, and has now been taken on by the Canadian Alliance on Mental Illness and Mental Health (CAMIMH) in co-operation with all its member organizations and many other supporters across Canada.

Mental Illness Awareness Week is an opportunity for people to have open dialogue, learn about and educate themselves on different mental illnesses and the impacts they have on individuals and their loved ones. Mental illness will indirectly affect all Canadians at some point in their lives, whether it is through a family member, friend or colleague.

Now that you know a bit more of what this week is all about, let’s talk about what a mental illness is. A mental illness is a medical condition, a disease that causes mild to severe disturbances in thinking, perception and behaviour. Mental illness can strike anyone; it affects people of all ages, education, income levels, race, religion, and gender.

In any given year, 1 in 5 Canadians will experience a mental health problem or illness; and in Alberta that number increases to 1 in 4. Mental illnesses are even more common than cancer, diabetes or heart disease. Now you may be asking yourself, what causes a mental illness? There is no one single cause for mental illness. For some, it may involve a chemical imbalance in the body, whereas for others it may relate to the amount of stress in one’s life, patterns of communication, the amount of healthy support one has, or even the degrees of self-esteem one feels.

If mental illnesses are so common, why are they not talked about more? Just like physical illnesses, mental illnesses can take on many forms. Sometimes, mental illnesses are still feared and misunderstood by many people, but this fear will disappear as people become more familiar and educated about them. This is exactly why it is important that we discuss mental illness, because many people still do not have an understanding of what mental illnesses are, the many forms they take on, and that they can be treated!

There are three categories of mental illnesses, which are anxiety disorders, mood disorders, and psychotic disorders. Each of these categories can be thought of as an umbrella term, which holds more specific diagnoses within. If you or someone you love is dealing with a mental illness, please know there is a bright side! Treatment is available for all types of mental illness. There are medications that can help regulate, there is therapy and/or counselling available, and there are even support groups you can attend to help! With access to treatment, the ability to function returns.

What can you do to help? Remember that no one is to blame for their illness. Separate the illness from the person – they are still the person you know and love, they are more than their illness. Learn all you can about mental illness; do your own research and try not to be influenced by what movies, TV, books, and magazines say about mental illness. Finally, take care of yourself! You are not able to help others if you are not first helping yourself.

Kayleah Robbins is the Mental Health and Financial Administration Educator at Canadian Mental Health Association, Alberta Southeast Region and can be reached at 403-504-1811 ext. 112. To find out more about CMHA programs and/or events visit http://www.cmha-aser.ca. If you are in crisis, call the Distress Centre at 1-800-784-2433.

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