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One thing I would like to suggest is reaching out to some of the many community groups that deal with these kinds of issues on a daily basis. I think having them represented at MentalHealthCamp would be a fantastic way to get feedback on their experiences dealing with people in person/phone, and what are some of the many hurdles they encounter. From there, I suggest taking the discussion in a direction of how technology can help these organizations improve their service and accessibility to those in need, what free/cheap resources they have available to them to implement solutions, as well as methods for them to increase public awareness and education.

From my experience, through my girlfriend’s volunteering, I’ve noticed that most programs are underfunded and understaffed to even investigate what all can be done via the web. Much of the volunteering help is needed on the front lines, and there is little, if none, focus on strategies to bring their services and messages to a wider audience. This is where I think this camp can succeed, in opening eyes and ears, and in creating connections, paving the way for increased collaboration amongst groups and leaders in this space (Isabella, Airdrie, Tod, and Pete, etc).

Let me know your thoughts.

While short individual stories are important, I think it should focus on answering some of the questions you posed on this post.

http://www.moritherapy.org/article/mental-health-and-blogging-a-summary-of-questions/

and focus on how more people could use blogs and social media to get their stories and real information(vs the BS “cure your ___ with our super blue green algae potion/ magic brainwave machine”) out on mental health conditions to reduce stigma.

Maybe even some ideas for practical ways to do mental health awareness and antistigma campaigns around different condition i.e. depression, adhd, substance abuse, OCD say on blogs/twitter/youtube, or people giving some examples of social media campaigns done for mental health conditions.

And show not only the problems but some of the positives of some conditions, as well as examples of people with said conditions who are functioning well.

Sometimes a mental health condition is portrayed as a total curse and those who have it are perpetually doomed to permanant misery and suffering and hopelessness. There are real, tangible, sometimes severe problems with mental health conditions, but there is also hope and it’s important to show the hope too.

People could talk about what specific things they’ve done that have helped them, maybe we could have streams with different conditions so people with those conditions can connect with each other in real life so they can do the same online

IMHO, the purpose of mentalhealthcamp would be to continue the discussion of the intersection between social media and mental health. it’s not “therapy for bloggers”

In response to Emily’s comment – I don’t think that a Mental Health Camp is intended to serve as a form of therapy for people suffering from mental illness, but rather as a way to get people talking about it. This is the only way to break the stigma associated with mental health issues, and it needs EVERYONE to participate – mental health professionals, patients, and also those who don’t suffer personally from it. We all need to help break down the negative stereotypes by joining the conversation.

so … i’d like to propose something some time in april. let’s think about a good location, one that feels intimate and private. i can probably get something really nice in roberts creek, but i suspect that’s too far. i’d also like to invite someone from the candian mental health association to participate.

So hopefully the sessions will be designed with that in mind to give people a chance to participate and hopefully some myths shattered.

I think it’s a great idea, far too many people buy into stigma about mental health and harm themselves, their children and others because of it.

A Canadian TV station recently did a 5 minute segment on Adult ADHD and they interviewed an ADHD adult but put him behind a protective screen to “hide his identity” and garbled out his voice with some sort of voice scrambler. They made it sound like having ADHD was like being in hiding from the mafia or islamic terrorists. I thought that type of ignorant, stigmatizing dumbass thinking died 20 years ago. Guess not.

I’d be willing to help out with mental health camp.

I have loved any support I have received and admire all the people who are so open about it all.