According to a study prepared for the Mental Health Commission of Canada, by the time Canadians reach 40 years of age, one in two have – or have had – a mental illness.
One in two.
When I first read the above statistic, I had to read it again to make sure I was understanding it correctly. With 50 percent of Canadians having experienced mental illness, it’s hard to understand how an enormous amount of stigma still exists around mental health. If 50 percent of the under 40 population experiences a mental illness, why are we still so afraid to talk about it?
This stigma is an issue because it stops people from asking for help. Whether they’re afraid of what their friends and family might think or they’re afraid that people won’t take them seriously, many people don’t know how or when to reach out. I have personally experienced this struggle and the latter had a very large impact on my decision to ask for help.
“Everyone gets sad and everyone feels stressed, that doesn’t mean something’s wrong with me – does it?”
This is a question I repeated to myself for weeks before I decided to talk to someone about how I was feeling. I was so afraid that people would accuse me of overreacting or tell me to just “get over it” that I couldn’t express my feelings to even my closest family and friends. As a very open person, I felt for the first time that I could not share how I was feeling. When I did eventually talk to my friends and family, it was like a weight was lifted off my shoulders. I was able to confide in someone who helped me through every aspect of how I was feeling and I talked to a professional who gave me the tools to deal with everyday stresses that were building up my anxieties. With the appropriate treatment and support, I was able to feel better in no time.
The fact that I only struggled in silence for a few months makes me one of the lucky ones. Some people go on for years feeling helpless and alone before they feel they can ask for help, while others never do. As a society, especially as young people, it is our responsibility to make sure that our friends, family, peers, and classmates, that everyone feels safe enough to reach out and ask for help. We need to stop treating mental illness any different than we would treat someone with a broken leg or the flu. We need to remind people that mental illness is an illness, like any other, and there is no reason to feel ashamed for being sick.
Whether you’ve been feeling off for a couple weeks, a few months, or a year, it’s never too soon or too late to ask for help. No one should ever feel alone or ashamed for reaching out and asking for help. Remember to be there for your friends and family. Remember that it’s okay not to be okay, and it’s normal not to be okay. Reach out, ask for help, and take care of yourself.
Related articles:
- Mental Health and Mental Wellness: Two Sides of the Same Coin
- No “Buts” When It Comes To Depression
- Weighting Game: On Surviving Anorexia
Want more HCW? Check us out on social media!