Bell’s Mental Health “Let’s Talk” day takes place on January 25. This day is designed to open conversions around mental health and erase the stigma associated with this topic. Mental health still receives little open discussion in society today, despite a growing need. Some of this is due to stereotypes in television and movies and cultural taboos. Mental health refers to a wide spectrum of topics from stress, anxiety and depression to addictions and diagnosed conditions.
The statistics show that one in five Canadians will personally experience a mental illness in their lifetime. Mental illness is misunderstood, leading to stereotypes. Many symptoms and feelings often get invalidated. For example, a parent might be feeling anxious or overstressed from too many tasks and responsibilities. This often gets cast as a personal failure to cope rather than as an indicator of an imbalance in the context of a person’s work or living environment. Bell has brought together well known personalities with their own personal stories of mental health to promote awareness. The “Let’s Talk” day emphasizes four key pillars of talk about mental health: Fighting the stigma, improving access to care, supporting world-class research and leading by example in workplace mental health.
The Maternal Mental Health Committee at the Assiniboia Union Hospital in Assiniboia are featuring two mental health initiatives. A Maternal Mental Health Wellness bingo card will be circulated to any women who wish to participate. The card features squares with activities for supporting mental health. Participants would fill in a square as they complete the activities.
A second initiative, Mental Health First Aid training for anyone in the general population who might benefit from the training and information, takes place on February 15 and 16. The 12-hour training course is meant to increase awareness of mental health issues and to assist participants to learn appropriate intervention strategies. Those interested in participating in this training can contact Jill Zahariuk at jzah@fhhr.ca.
Five Hills Health Region also offers a number of mental health workshops that are ongoing, including anxiety management, depression, making choices, and transforming loss. These are offered out of the Moose Jaw Union Hospital and Crescent View Clinic. They also offer walk in individual counselling sessions. Those interested in participating can contact Five Hills Health Region’s Mental Health and Addictions Services at 55 Diefenbaker Drive for more information.
The Five Hills Health Region is holding a mental illness support workshop on Monday from February 27 to April 24 from 6 to 8 p.m. It is aimed at learning to live with someone with mental illness and support them in their recovery.
Adult Community Services also offers other community supports for specific needs such as Acute Community Mental Health Home Care, Acquired Brain Injury Program, Approved Homes, Community Mental Health Nursing, Day Program, Depot Clinic and Detox Services.
