Education about mental illness is so important. Having been affected both personally and within my family by mental illness, I can so appreciate the importance of understanding what they are all about so that we are all less afraid and intimidated by this social-vilified part of being human. I think it is really important to learn about mental illness in school as part of health class. I think it is also really important to be open about these issues within families, so that they can be identified beyond someone being weird. I also think that creativity and art play a really important role is pushing these issues into the collective consciousness of society. Vancouver musician Matthew Good is a really excellent example of that.

Take advantage of the free services offered by your professional organization or your employer’s insurance provider. I’m a lawyer and it appears that not many people are willing to seek help from the Lawyers Assistance Program, which you can find at http://www.lapbc.com. I know many professionals in the field who have used their services and who told me that the hardest thing about going there was making that first visit: to simply admit that they need help, because in law school we are not taught about the emotional demands of practice. The first step to getting better is to remove the barrier associated.

Seek helps! It would only get worse if you try to fix it yourself. Don’t be ashamed of it, talk to family members, to friends, and go see a doctor. So many people thought they could fix it theirselves, but the results was never positive. People around you are much more clearer then you are.

[...] Health Camp Vancouver: How we destigmatize and better educate ourselves about mental illness –what do you think we can do? Your contribution also enters you to win two tickets to the opening night of Next to [...]

Mental illness hits close to my heart – so many people you see walking down the street or interact with maybe every day have first hand experience, and strangers are none the wiser. But if you or someone close to you lives with a mental illness, you know the struggle you/they face around stigma, in addition sometimes to just making it through the day. One of the biggest gaps in education is for employers. Management training doesn’t include how to accommodate someone with a disclosed illness, or how to support employees that might be showing signs of mental illness, whether or not they are diagnosed. A course in general on what is mental illness and how it affects employees in the workplace would be great to be offered by WorkSafeBC or the Centre for Leadership at the Justice Institute, or any other management training institution. Stigma in the workplace can be prevented – we’re all at risk and we can all benefit from understanding employers.

Very nice post. I agree to Vanessa Marshall that Education about mental illness is so important. Mental illness must be taught in school so that everybody will be given idea.

We need to start educating kids at a young age about mental illness and encourage them to seek help early on. A lot of these illnesses can be cured if caught early on.

I think we need to start the education young. In school & at home. So everything is openly discussed rather than viewed as a taboo topic.

I agree with everyone introducing mental illness education to schools (perhaps a school trip to see Next to Normal in drama class). Also harnessing the power of social media and celebrities (e.g. Canucks, etc.) will also help raise awareness. An ongoing campaign that comes to mind is Transplant BC’s drive to raise awareness for organ donation registration. I’ve seen ads on transit, they have a twitter account, and Facebook.