Long battle to erase stigma of mental illness

Sir Winston Churchill was a brilliant politician, an exceptional statesman and a gifted orator. During some of the darkest hours in the 20th century he was a light that many turned to for hope and strength. Yet it is now well known that he struggled with mental illness throughout his life.

In his day the stigma associated with mental health problems was phenomenal. As a result what he termed his ‘black periods’ were quietly hidden and carefully managed.

You would think after all treatment advances, awareness campaigns and our open discussions in the media that these conditions would be afforded the same understanding as other chronic illnesses but unfortunately the stigma still exists.

As a young professional, I joined several advocacy groups to attempt to raise awareness in the community at large. However, some 30 years later I find that the same myths and misinformation are still prevalent. Also distressing is that as a result of these misconceptions people who experience a mental illness or even those who could benefit from treatment are isolated and lost.

Mental illness is not a single disease but a broad classification for many disorders, including anxiety, depression, schizophrenia, personality disorders, eating disorders and organic brain disorders. Mental Illness is not a weakness or character flaw that can be ignored. It can affect anyone regardless of intelligence, social class or income level. They did not choose to become ill, and they are not lazy because they cannot just "snap out of it."

John Roswell (at 245-4552) and a small group grassroots community volunteers are working diligently to try to address some of these issues. They have formed the Digby Clare Mental Health Group to increase awareness and provide support for persons experiencing mental health problems.

To that end, the group has booked two information sessions on depression, one of the most common mental health issues, on Feb. 24 at 1:30 p.m. in Digby Regional High School and 6:30 p.m. in École Secondaire de Clare in Meteghan River.

The sessions will have three speakers of various age groups who have personal experience with depression. Roswell hopes the sessions are the first of many more that will help increase the level of understanding in our community. They also have a support group that meets every Wednesday at 7 p.m. in the Digby General Hospital boardroom.

Roswell encourages anyone interested in volunteering with this group or any person struggling the effects of mental illness to contact him, join the group at a meeting or attend one of its sessions.

kristy@ns.sympatico.ca