Any suicide is sad in and of itself. When people are unable to emerge from the darkness that depression and other forms of mental illness submerges them in, and individuals decide to terminate their own life, it’s definitely as someone said, a permanent solution to a temporary problem. I have many friends who have experienced extremely severe bouts of depression and who have entertained suicidal thoughts.

I also have close friends who have lost a loved one to suicide. It’s thus extremely saddening and really unfortunately eery timing that Trey Pennington (a social media super star from South Carolina and great human being from every tribute I read online, and who was friends with some of my own social media friends) took his own life right around the beginning of National Suicide Prevention Week 2011. How I wish there had been someone with Trey at that moment, someone who could have helped him emerge from the profound darkness where he might have been trapped. How I wish someone could have helped everyone who has taken their own life (we’ve heard of some recent cases in the professional hockey field, like Rick Rypien).

This week marks National Suicide Prevention Week worldwide, ending on World Suicide Prevention Day (September 10th, 2011).

World Suicide Prevention Day is held on September 10th each year. The purpose of this day is to raise awareness around the globe that suicide can be prevented. Disseminating information, improving education and training, and decreasing stigmatization are important tasks in such an endeavour. The theme in 2011 is “Preventing Suicide in Multicultural Societies”.

The themes of the last two years of the World Suicide Prevention Day have focussed on suicide prevention in different cultures across the world. This year’s theme aims at raising awareness of the fact that all countries in the world are multicultural. Many countries harbour different minority groups, in the form of various indigenous and/or immigrant groups, refugees and/or asylum seekers. Some countries comprise many different ethnic groups due to artificial borders having been drawn by former colonial powers. This means that in all countries there are a variety of ethnic and religious groups living in the same society.

For the Canadian activities, please check this link. In Vancouver, the second-annual World Suicide Prevention Day is scheduled for Saturday, September 10th, 2011 in front of the Vancouver Art Gallery (750 Hornby St) at 12 pm. And if you know of someone (or you, yourself are suffering), know that you are alone. There is help out there.

Some resources if you know someone is suffering and/or considering suicide.

If you need immediate support, please contact 1-800-SUICIDE

Partners in support of World Suicide Prevention Day 2011:
- Canadian Association for Suicide Prevention
- Canadian Mental Health Association
- CHIMO Crisis Services
- The Child and Adolescent Response Team, Vancouver Coastal Health – Crisis Intervention and Suicide Prevention Centre of British Columbia
- The Josh Platzer Society for Teen Suicide Prevention and Awareness
- S.A.F.E.R. Suicide Attempt Follow-up Education and Research, Vancouver Coastal Health

Related posts:

1. World Suicide Prevention Day Sep 10th event at Vancouver Art Gallery #WSPDVan2010
2. Vancouver International Fringe Festival 2011 Preview: Suicide(s) in Vegas
3. Mental Illness Awareness Week (Oct 2-8th, 2011)

the 3rd edition of MentalHealthCamp vancouver is happening soon! on july 23rd, precisely. the conference is about the intersection between social media and mental health.

is this a topic you’re interested in? would you like to talk about it, or lead a workshop?

here’s your chance – our call for speakers.

we are looking for session leaders who speak from personal or professional experience with mental health or mental illness.

we will have approximately 10 45-minute slots, with 6 slots for prearranged speakers (e.g. approved by the selection committee), and 4 slots for “mental moose” – a continuation of the unconference tradition of moosecamp at northern voice. during “mental moose”, participants who are interested in leading a session can pitch them on saturday morning with a quick 30-second talk. everyone will then vote on which sessions will be presented, and the winning sessions will be scheduled.

the theme for this year’s MentalHealthCamp is

DIVERSITY

diversity of opinions
diversity of religion
diversity of ideas on how to deal with mental health
diversity of sexual orientation
diversity in age
diversity in ethnic backgrounds
diversity in socioeconomic status
diversity of ability
and … ? (please feel free to add!)
each one of these topics contains vast, interesting fields in and of themselves. just think of the topic of mental health among british columbia’s south asian population; the diverse/diverging of the radical psychology group (here with another diversity topic: gender and bodily difference); or mental health and christian churches. we could even look at diversity from yet another point of view – adding the topic/twist of mental health to existing bodies of research, such as the growing area of research into tourism and mental health.
since MentalHealthCamp is about the intersection between mental health and social media, speakers and participants will discuss issues that touch on both topics, in whatever weird and wonderful and different ways. also, this will continue to be a grassroots-based event. as long as a speaker has something interesting and constructive to contribute, it is of no consequence whether she or he has a PhD in psychiatry or is a master in the art of living a life touched by mental illness. come one, come all! it is, after all, about diversity.
once again, we might also have a virtual session. if you’re unable to attend the conference in person but have the technical know-how, let’s talk about using technology to bring you right into our conference here in vancouver.

if you’re interested in presenting, please send us a short (100 words or less) description of the proposal, together with a short (50 words or less) bio about yourself by june 16. please send it to moritherapy at shaw dot ca.

the conference will happen on july 23, 2011, from 8:30am to 5:00 pm, at vancouver’s gallery gachet http://gachet.org/ at 88 east cordova street .

To submit a speaker’s proposal fill out the Contact Form with your proposal.

Related posts:

1. Mental Health Camp Vancouver 2011: Diversity in Mental Health
2. Volunteering and sponsoring Mental Health Camp Vancouver 2011
3. On cancelling Mental Health Camp Vancouver 2011

So what do we need volunteers for? One of the most important ones, I find, is logistics and coordination. I’m an incredibly busy guy, and both Isabella and I are extremely constrained with time this year. Particularly, I need someone to be able to follow up with the folks I’m contacting in regards to sponsorships. Given how many hundreds of emails I get, being able to let someone else deal with communicating with potential sponsors and just give me the low-down of what needs to get done, is one.

We of course will need volunteers on “the day of” to help set-up, tear-down, clean-up, direct people, registration, introducing speakers, making sure that the sessions don’t run overtime, helping with coffee breaks, lunch, etc. All of that.

And as far as sponsorships, we need basically two things – lunch and coffee/snacks. Simple as that. We are aiming to make Mental Health Camp Vancouver 2011 a low-key, great energy event. If you are interested in either volunteering or sponsoring, feel free to send me an email through the handy contact form below. And if you are interested in pitching a speakers proposal, do the same.

Related posts:

1. Mental Health Camp Vancouver 2011: Diversity in Mental Health
2. On cancelling Mental Health Camp Vancouver 2011
3. Mental Health Camp Vancouver 2011 Call for Speakers

On August 1, 2010, Michael Schratter, a Vancouver School Board teacher and social columnist embarked on a global journey to cycle 40,000 km, crossing 6 continents and 30 countries. His mission is to circumnavigate the world and in doing so to bring attention and awareness to the stigma surrounding mental illness. Riding on behalf of Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA BC), proceeds will benefit CMHA BC and their youth and adolescent educational initiatives.

As a celebration of Michael’s mid-way point (20,000 km), there will be a Ride Don’t Hide Spin-a-Thon hosted by Canadian Mental Health Association, BC Division (CMHA BC) and Steve Nash Fitness World and Sports Club. Taking place on Saturday, May 7, during Mental Health Week, the fun, 2-hour cycling classes will run from 12:00 pm to 2:00 pm at all 17 Steve Nash Fitness World and Sports Club locations. All money raised by Ride Don’t Hide support CMHA BC’s mental health initiatives for youth and youth-at-risk. It would be great if you could cheer Michael on as he makes his way home. You can sign up at any location for $15 for individuals, $10 each for a relay team of two to four, or $150 for a corporate team of four. Sign-up includes a free Mental Health Week gym pass, valid May 1-7. The first 150 also receive a Ride Don’t Hide T-shirt. Collect pledges for the chance to win prizes including a bike and one-year fitness membership. Or pledge your support online at the CMHA website.

Related posts:

1. Good luck to @Michael24Hrs in his @Ride_Dont_Hide trek!
2. Mental Health Week May 3rd to 7th
3. Mental Health Week 2011 (May 1-7)

By the way, did you know that this year Mental Health Camp is organized around the topic of Diversity in Mental Health?. So, anyhow, May is Mental Health Month, and Mental Health Week is coming up next week, May 1 through 7, organized by the Canadian Mental Health Association. From their media kit:

About one in five people – over six and a half million Canadians – experience a mental disorder during their lifetime. Unfortunately, many people don’t ask for help because they feel ashamed or scared. People may judge them and treat them negatively based on a mental health problem. Others have trouble finding a place to live, finding a job, maintaining relationships and other important parts of life. In fact, most people living with a mental disorder say that stigma is worse than the symptoms they feel.

Stigma originally meant a physical mark of shame. Now, it’s an invisible mark that sets you apart from others. The problem with the word ‘stigma’ is that it puts the focus on the person’s difference instead of on the people who are setting them apart. Using the word stigma makes it seem different than racism, homophobia or sexism. It isn’t. So it’s time to talk about stigma for what it really is: prejudice and discrimination. Prejudice is holding negative attitudes or beliefs about people who are viewed as different. Discrimination is acting on these ideas or beliefs.

I’m working hard to break down stigmas not only around mental health but also around queer issues, homelessness and other topic areas that I’m passionate about. So I do hope you take some time to reflect and participate on events during Mental Health Week, and please help spread the word.

Related posts:

1. Mental Health Week 2012 (May 7-13) Canadian Mental Health Association
2. Mental Health Week May 3rd to 7th
3. Mental Health Camp Vancouver 2011: Diversity in Mental Health

My good friend Isabella Mori and I have sort of a mind-meld, Vulcan-like approach to projects. We sit down, think about things and we realize that we are on the same wavelength. This morning, we had a breakfast meeting where we decided on the theme for Mental Health Camp Vancouver 2011: Diversity in Mental Health. This fits within our trend of moving forward with the Mental Health Camp movement.

Our first year, we wanted to hear people’s stories. The second year, we wanted people to break free from silence. This year, we want to hear a diversity of opinions around mental health. You don’t think there should be a Mental Health Camp at all? Come and speak about that. Are you queer and concerned about links between depression, homophobia and bullying? Come and speak about that. Do you self-identify with a particular ethnic group and are concerned about issues that may be specific to that group? Come join us in the conversation. Do you have particular views about specific types of approaches to mental health? Sit down with us and let’s have a conversation.

We will be issuing a call for speakers around mid-May, but we are already working on securing sponsorship and lining up support. Consider participating. This year, Mental Health Camp takes place on July 23rd, 2011 at Gallery Gachet (thanks Jay Peachy for all your help securing the location and with the organizing!).

Related posts:

1. Volunteering and sponsoring Mental Health Camp Vancouver 2011
2. Mental Health Camp Vancouver 2011 Call for Speakers
3. On cancelling Mental Health Camp Vancouver 2011

Even though both my dear friend Isabella Mori and I ended up after organizing Mental Health Camp Vancouver 2010 absolutely and entirely drained and overwhelmed, we recognize the value of what we have created (building on what our good friend Airdrie originated at Northern Voice 2009). Recent sad news of increases in gay teen’s suicides have led me to believe that it is particularly timely now to have the conversation around organizing Mental Health Camp in other cities. Neither Isabella nor I have the energy, nor resources to organize them other than in Vancouver, but we are more than happy to offer our expertise and experience to anyone who is interested.

We are both aware of Mental Health Camp United Kingdom being in the works, and we are probably going to start thinking about Mental Health Camp Vancouver 2011 pretty soon. So, do me a favor please – share this blog post with anyone you know that might be interested in (a) collaborating in MHC Vancouver 2011 (either organizing or presenting), (b) organizing a MHC in their own city (regardless of the country), or (c) anyone that you might think might benefit from learning more about Mental Health Camp.

Thank you.

Related posts:

1. Mental Health Camp Vancouver 2011: Diversity in Mental Health
2. On cancelling Mental Health Camp Vancouver 2011
3. After a very successful Mental Health Camp Vancouver 2010 #mhcyvr10

Related posts:

1. Ride Don’t Hide Spin-A-Thon at Steve Nash Centres (May 7th)
2. Good luck in Calgary, Tanya @NetChick!
3. The Canada Post Foundation for Mental Health

A couple of days ago, my good friend and co-organizer of Mental Health Camp Vancouver 2010 posted her second recap of MHCYVR10 (you can read tweets associated with the hashtag #mhcyvr10 here). Isabella is on her way to a much deserved holiday and thus, I am posting this recap from my own personal viewpoint, as Isabella did. Neither of us has vetted each other’s posts. We love and care for each other too much to do such a thing. So what you will be reading from here until the end of the post is 100% my viewpoint and nobody else’s.

I had my Mom visiting me for a full month, starting June 23rd. This meant that I had to divide my attention into my own client work (something I had committed to do already), my social media commitments (which I guess in hindsight I could have skipped) and organizing Mental Health Camp Vancouver 2010 (for short, MHC) AND trying to spend time with my mother, someone I see once a year and one of the people I love the most in this world. So, it was very challenging.

I think in hindsight I committed a mistake in taking a few days for holiday and a writing retreat before MHC happened. I should have just stayed and dealt with (as many people from the online community may have seen) some ridiculous drama that happened around Isabella and my decision’s in the realm of speaker selection. I should have just stayed in Vancouver and deal with it. But on the other hand, how could I have known that all this drama was about to be unleashed? Seriously, people. Grow up and get a grip.

I lost sleep for about five days in a row, had problems eating and had to mask this turmoil in order to make sure that my Mom wouldn’t worry about my wellbeing. You’ll see, in order to organize a conference on mental health and social media, the first thing I needed was to stay mentally sane and not let anything cripple me. In hindsight, having my Mom here was actually a blessing. She is my rock and my best friend and I don’t think I would have survived the amount of stress that organizing MHC represented had my Mom not been here to be my sounding board.

I wouldn’t have been able to organize MHC without the strength and courage of the presenters who shared their stories, who opened themselves and, in sharing their experiences, opened the eyes of many people. These brave folks were in some cases the target of nasty trolls, something that added to my and Isabella’s levels of stress. But as Karen Quinn Fung tweeted, if we are being attacked, then that means that there is still stigma attached to speaking out about mental health, and that our work is valuable.

I still feel responsible and horribly bad about the organizational glitches, and as Isabella highlighted, the fact that we had to rectify the introduction of speakers bit after Steff talked to us (and I will very publicly apologize to Steff for letting her down – I should have been more on the ball in assigning volunteers to introductions of speakers). Isabella and I fixed this quickly, and as she mentioned, Kemp Edmonds, Sue MacDonald and our other volunteers (including and thanks so much to Vanessa Chu, Minna Van, Ganesh Swami, Jay Catalan, our amazing PR and Media Concierge Cathy Browne, and Aidan Scott). My sanity would have been very compromised had our volunteers not stepped up to the task. From the bottom of my heart, THANK YOU!

EDIT - In my haste to get all of this out of my chest, I neglected to mention Cheryl (@cwcheeks), a dear friend, and wonderful woman who gave her all to make Mental Health Camp Vancouver 2010 a success. She became engaged as a volunteer from the get-go, from the early stages of planning, and gave me and Isabella much needed support and respite. And more than anything, she gave us a lot of her seemingly endless supply of love. Cheryl, thank you, thank you, THANK YOU SO MUCH.

Cathy Browne deserves thanks in and of her own. Cathy was ill that weekend and yet she made it to MHC, even with swollen limbs and her own health compromised. Thank you, Cathy, doesn’t even cut it – I am forever eternally grateful! And thanks for the coverage we got and for coordinating with Trevor Boudreau and Michael Allison from Wilcox PR to further our message. Trevor, you know how much I appreciate you taking this on and bringing Michael along for the ride, and to Erin McConnell and Mat Wilcox for supporting your efforts in helping us.

The night before MHC happened, I was checking our MHC blog. I noticed a negative comment against me, saying that the only reason I organize charitable events is for my own popularity. In normal circumstances (e.g. without stress, and not feeling overwhelmed), I would have acted according to what my good friend Lorraine Murphy has taught me in Troll Management 101: Ignore the trolls. I wasn’t ready to deal with this (I had too much to deal with already, had lost sleep, was under extreme pressure to deliver a flawless conference), so I unapproved the comment. In hindsight, I should have let it slide, but I am human and I have only so much energy to deal with the crap that social media sometimes throws at me. For all the happiness and wonderful friends social media has brought me, it has also given me the exposure that makes people want to throw nasty comments at me. Oh well, the nature of the beast. I am an academic, I have taken worse (and better founded) criticism than “you’re only doing it for the fame”. And survived it.

So, by the time you’ve read this far (950 words in), you probably think “wow, sounds like a rough ride… are you ever going to do it again? Did you have a good time? Did you enjoy the conference? Was it worth it, all the hard work?. And the answer to all of those questions is, without a doubt, a resounding YES. Mental Health Camp Vancouver 2010 was a very successful conference, and I would (and will) do it all over again.

And you know why? Because as my good friend Airdrie (the woman who inspired me and Isabella to launch the first-ever Mental Health Camp) put it – we need to think about the kids. We need to think about ways to break down the stigma so that our kids (and the kids we teach, those of us who are educators) don’t have to face what we faced. What some of our presenters faced.

Michael Schratter, the popular journalist for 24 Hours is embarking on August 1st on a cross-continental bike ride (Ride Don’t Hide) to raise funds for the Canadian Mental Health Association. To de-stigmatize mental health. He spoke out, and he spoke at MHC. Steff and Steven and Terra and Catherine and Michael and Aidan all spoke from the heart about their stories and the challenges they have faced. Michelle Clasius from Covenant House shared her story. Jay Peachy and a number of other presenters from the Gallery Gachet Collective shared art and music for healing. We had wonderful speakers, presenters, performers. Mental Health Camp Vancouver 2010 was amazing. And the general perception of attendees and presenters was that it had been amazing.

And that’s all I need.

That’s all I need to go again next year through the pains of organizing a conference like Mental Health Camp Vancouver 2010. Because if MHC helped at least ONE person speak out.
If it helped ONE person change his/her view towards mental illness.
If it helped spread a message of love instead of a message of hate.
If it helped rebuild the confidence of at least ONE person afflicted with mental illness, reassuring him or her that she or he is not alone.

Then we succeeded. And I feel confident to say that we did, indeed succeed.

To all of our sponsors (Cosmic Blend, Developmental Disabilities Association, Lynne UX, FreelanceCamp Vancouver 2010, Wilcox PR, MarketWire, Institute for Resources, Environment and Sustainability at The University of British Columbia and I hope I am not forgetting anyone), thanks for helping us make this possible.

To the presenters: YOU RULE. Thank you SO much for being brave and sharing your stories, which we hope will help others in turn. You inspire me to continue doing the work I do.

To my co-organizer: Isabella, you push me always to be better and I could not have asked for a better friend to organize this conference with. I love you.

To my volunteers: THANK YOU – you made me feel that I could accomplish this indeed. I don’t know how I can pay you back but I will find a way.

And to my Mom: thank you for keeping me sane at a moment in my life when I probably would have been shattered to pieces. You are my rock, my inspiration and my role model. When I grow up I aspire to be a bit like you.

UPDATE – Here are links to several of the recaps of Mental Health Camp Vancouver 2010 I found.

Michelle Clasius (Covenant House)

Steven Schwartz (The Emperor Has No Toque)

Aidan Scott (Kidsideration)

Steffani Cameron (The Cunting Linguist)

Katana Barnett (Katanaville)

Ashley Hunking (Abstracting Minds)

Michael Schratter (Ride Don’t Hide)

Isabella did another recap on her blog of the links she found. You can check more there.

Related posts:

1. After a very successful Mental Health Camp Vancouver 2010 #mhcyvr10
2. Mental Health Camp Vancouver 2011: Diversity in Mental Health
3. Mental Health Camp Vancouver 2010 (seeking sponsorships)

That is all.

Related posts:

1. Child-minding and Mental Health Camp Vancouver 2010 #mhcyvr10
2. After a successful Mental Health Camp Vancouver ’09, towards a MHC ’10
3. Mental Health Camp Vancouver 2011: Diversity in Mental Health

Both Isabella and I have been focusing on making sure we have nailed down every single little detail of Mental Health Camp Vancouver 2010. Inspired by the amazing work of our good friend Airdrie Miller, Isabella and I ran with the idea of having a conference where social media and mental health intersected. I have been running around like a headless chicken with no time to myself.

From the very beginning, Isabella told me that the first thing she wanted to ensure was our own mental health, and our own well-being. Yes, as organizers, we take on a huge load and we know that we have set high expectations with Mental Health Camp. But we also recognize that, in organizing a non-profit, 100%-volunteer-run event, we also need to take care of ourselves. So I decided to take some time to just be with myself.

With nobody else.

This is hard to do for someone with such a social personality. I *love* being around people, and even as I write my “thank you” notes, I feel the need and desire to go out and spend some time with friends, the night before MHCYVR10. Truth be told, I think it’s best if I just spend some time with myself.

I’m a good friend of mine. I love my own personality, I love who I am and I have the life I have always wanted. I keep myself pretty good company, and I think that’s what makes this transition of not-doing-anything-with-anyone-else so simple.

Sometimes, we just need to be with and by ourselves. I’m living proof.

Related posts:

1. On cancelling Mental Health Camp Vancouver 2011
2. After a very successful Mental Health Camp Vancouver 2010 #mhcyvr10
3. The Canada Post Foundation for Mental Health

Isabella and I were having a discussion a couple of weeks back (right after Northern Voice 2010) on how we were planning to make Mental Health Camp Vancouver 2010, e.g. deal with child-minding at the unconference. Let me add all the disclaimers. First of all, this is a non-profit conference. We are hoping to get some sponsorship (not in kind, but in cash).

We are hoping to find enough sponsorship to cover expenses (you know, lunch and coffee costs!) but we recognize that we might not get a lot of it. Second, a few people people may be short in cash so they might need a scholarship to participate. Third, there are a number of issues that may be associated with child-care (e.g. having to have professional staff take care of children, etc.)

We are SIX weeks away from Mental Health Camp Vancouver 2010, and we recognize that Post-Partum Depression is one of the most relevant issues that could potentially be discussed at MHC. Thus, we want to open the floor to parents (mommy and daddy bloggers, and even those who aren’t mommy/daddy bloggers but are parents and could help with suggestions). How do YOU suggest WE make Mental Health Camp Vancouver 2010 more child friendly, considering that (a) we can’t have a dedicated room to set up child-minding and (b) we can’t afford the professional staffing ourselves.

Say, you were a parent and you wanted to participate in MHCYVR10 but you weren’t able/wanting to leave your children behind… what would YOU do – or what do YOU suggest WE do to help you attend? We want to make MHCYVR10 a success and we want to learn from you. So, on to you folks – HELP ME. Make suggestions.

Related posts:

1. After a very successful Mental Health Camp Vancouver 2010 #mhcyvr10
2. Mental Health Camp Vancouver 2011: Diversity in Mental Health
3. Mental Health Camp Vancouver 2010 (seeking sponsorships)

I don’t think there’s any human who hasn’t experienced depression even in its mildest form. I certainly have (even if only twice in my life). I have previously talked to many of my friends about how in Spanish, we don’t talk about “mental illnesses” (enfermedades mentales). We talk about mental health (salud mental). When I moved to Vancouver, I realized how much stigma was associated with mental illnesses. It’s like what cancer was a decade or so ago. It became an invisible disease.

For the past couple of years, I have helped co-organize (with my very good friend Isabella Mori) Mental Health Camp Vancouver, a one-of-a-kind unconference on exploring the intersection of social media and mental health. Depression has afflicted and continues to affect many people that I love, several of them whom I discovered through blogging. Mental Health Camp was launched as a result of the great work that Airdrie Miller put into organizing the panel “Coping Digitally” at Northern Voice 2009 (read my liveblog of the session here).

Thus, while my research expertise is not in the field of mental health, I have become a bit of an advocate for the cause, particularly because I have many friends whom I love profoundly who have been afflicted by depression, ADHD, bipolarism, etc. I like using whatever little exposure my blog has to promote these worthy causes. And it is in this context that I am delighted that there is a Mental Health Week from May 3rd to May 7th, launched by the Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA).

The media release to which I linked above lists all the local events that will take place around the Lower Mainland.

Since 1951, the first week of May has been celebrated as Mental Health Week, with the Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) leading the national campaign. It’s a time when CMHA branches and other groups remind us that there is no health without mental health. CMHA branches host events that increase respect for people with mental illness and promote good mental health for everyone.

The theme for this year’s Mental Health Camp Vancouver is “Breaking Our Silence: Setting Us Free”. Help spread the word about Mental Health Week and MHCYVR10 if you can. Thank you.

To follow more news on Mental Health, follow the CMHA Vancouver Branch and the Canadian Mental Health Association on Twitter.

Related posts:

1. Mental Health Week 2012 (May 7-13) Canadian Mental Health Association
2. Mental Health Week 2011 (May 1-7)
3. Mental Health Camp Vancouver 2011: Diversity in Mental Health

UPDATE – I just found out via @MHSMChat that Twapperkeeper can store hashtagged tweets. So if you want to see the full discussion go here.

Related posts:

1. Top Chefs for Mental Health (fundraiser for BC Mental Health Foundation)
2. Mental Health Camp Vancouver 2011: Diversity in Mental Health
3. The Canada Post Foundation for Mental Health

I’ve been pondering for weeks about the slogan for Mental Health Camp Vancouver 2010 (Isabella Mori, one of my closest friends and my co-organizer for MHC is in Europe at the moment, and she has been having to deal with personal stuff, so I haven’t wanted to bother her with bouncing ideas back and forth). We agreed before she left that the theme for Mental Health Camp Vancouver 2010 would be around how silence fosters and perpetuates the stigma of mental illness (stigmatization through silence). Not speaking about mental illness and mental health neglects its importance and cripples the sufferer of any mental illness by not having anyone to tell or anywhere to turn.

Recently, two celebrity parents (Marie Osmond and Walter Koenig) suffered the painful loss of their children, former child-actor Andrew Koenig (who took his life and whose body was found in Stanley Park in Vancouver) and 18-year-old Michael Blosil (who according to reports, leapt to his death this past Friday). A recent TrueSlant article by my friend Lorraine Murphy makes the point that

Celebrity is a two-edged sword, ask anyone famous enough to have an IMDB page, but sometimes that sword can be uplifted to cut through barriers which should never have existed in the first place.

To which I say – ABSOLUTELY TRUE. Lorraine is right. The fact is, if Walter Koenig, Marie Osmond and many other celebrity parents and celebrities themselves can encourage people afflicted with deep depression to seek help when afflicted with suicidal thoughts, the better. I have on more than one occasion said that if there’s anything that I do that has an ulterior motive is use my social media and online popularity to highlight worthy causes (like cancer research, HIV prevention and speaking out about mental health). That’s mostly why I do what I do.

photo credit: keepitsurreal

Up until November of 2003, I had NEVER been afflicted with depression. An overachiever pretty much since I was born, I was one of five amazing brothers. I have had a life that I wouldn’t trade for anyone. Outstanding brothers, adoring parents and grandparents and uncles and aunts, a family that many wish they had born within. And I clearly remember when I told my Mom and Dad “wow, I am so lucky … I don’t know what depression feels like…” Little did I know that I would be heartbroken less than 2 weeks after I said this.

I survived my heartbreak, in no small part thanks to the support of my family, my parents (Mom, primarily) and my friends. And I did seek professional help (I went to Student Services’ Counselling). Five years later, in late November of 2008 (a few months before I even thought about organizing Mental Health Camp), at around 2.40am, I started feeling horribly depressed (not sure why, to this day). I felt like a loser, someone who had accomplished so much in previous years only to be a nobody then. And through talking on GTalk with Lorraine Murphy, she got me out of my rut, helping me reframe how I perceived myself more in line with how others perceived me (a highly successful blogger who came out of nowhere and became very visible in the Vancouver social media community).

Credit: Karen Hamilton (Tiny Bites) on Flickr

After that one episode on November of 2008, I never have felt again really that depressed. I have, on occasion, felt down, blue, and I recognize that I am strongly affected by Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) so I have a SAD lamp always available. But I always monitor how I feel, and I always have close friends on speed-dial, Twitter, Facebook and Google Talk.

I have many, many friends who have spoken out openly about depression and silence and speaking out and how it has affected them (recent ones I’ve found are Smutty Steff’s and Cheeky Cici‘s. Sitting in a panel at Northern Voice ’09 on Coping Digitally (organized by Airdrie) and listening first hand the stories of how my friends Tod, Air and Isabella have faced depression/bipolarity, was the one thing that galvanized me to jump and tell Isabella that we needed to organize Mental Health Camp.

Terra makes a really good point – just because we speak out, it doesn’t mean that everyone HAS to speak out. But we both have chosen to do so. I have chosen to speak out, about homophobia, about stigma and mental illness, about the issues that matter to me. I choose to share how I feel because, as Robert Ballantyne pointed out to me on a phone conversation, people appreciate the fact that, no matter how successful or how much of an overachiever I am, I always show myself as I am. I show myself vulnerable.

I have shown you, on this post, that at least on two occasions, I’ve been deeply depressed. And I survived. Thanks to my own internal strength, but also thanks to the fact that I shared how I felt with people who love me and care about me. I have found that sharing the story of my life on my blog, on my Twitter account, helps me a lot. It helps me rebuild strength on a daily basis. You all, who read my site and my tweets, all of those who don’t read my online stuff but with whom I share a bond of love in real life as well, strengthen me on a daily basis.

I choose to speak out because I am tired of silence. So, while I have found the actual motto that I wanted to use for Mental Health Camp Vancouver 2010, “Seeing the Invisible, Speaking about the Unspoken”, I can’t really use it. Why? Because it is the title of a position paper on homophobia in sports by the The Canadian Association for the Advancement of Women and Sport and Physical Activity (CAAWS). So, lovely title, but a cause near and dear to my heart already owns it.

So, I came up with this other motto/slogan – “Breaking free from the shackles of silence: Speaking out about mental health through social media”. It may be a tad too long, and of course, I need to run it by Isabella first, and share it with the rest of the organizing committee, but I figure it kind of encompasses what Isabella and I are trying to accomplish: provide a safe haven for folks to share their stories, to stop the silencing.

Thoughts, as always, most welcome.

Related posts:

1. Mental Health Camp Vancouver 2011: Diversity in Mental Health
2. Top Chefs for Mental Health (fundraiser for BC Mental Health Foundation)
3. The Canada Post Foundation for Mental Health

Last year, Isabella Mori (trusted and dear friend of mine, mental health specialist, counsellor and all around amazing woman) and I decided to take it upon ourselves to organize the first-ever Mental Health Camp (website, Twitter account). Two months of intense preparation, extremely hard work and collaboration with a number of fantastic folks in the Vancouver social media community after we decided to take this project on, we succeeded in creating a safe space to empower people afflicted with mental illness and fight the stigma associated with depression, ADHD, bipolarism, etc. We obtained sponsorship (lunch with the BC Mental Health Foundation and LunchBox, writing materials with Patterson Brands, space with now-defunct WorkSpace).

Several things have changed for the better since last year. First, we learned a lot about what we didn’t do well last year and we’ve decided to change things for 2010. Second, we *know* that it takes a lot of work and we’ve decided to start putting our feelers out there for two of the most important sponsorships we need – space and food (breakfast/lunch/dinner and coffee). Third, both Isabella and I have much larger and stronger online social networks.

photo credit: keepitsurreal

You’d be surprised how much better things flow when you have food available for the participants’ consumption. The fact that we had lunch together made collaboration and informal conversation flow much more easily. Moreover, we really want to make sure that we have a space that is welcoming and warm, and large enough to hold everyone together. So, I’m throwing it out there – which businesses/non-profits will help and sponsor MHC YVR ’10?

We are also thinking of approaching the organizations who have something to do with mental health (Canadian Mental Health Association, BC Mental Health Foundation, Coast Foundation, and of course the Mental Health Commission of Canada with their Anti-Stigma Project), but it’d be great if we could secure location and food/coffee break sponsorship before I went on holidays. Any and all help, of course, much appreciated.

Amongst the great news – Mental Health Camp Toronto is happening too in 2010, so we’ll have an opportunity to share ideas and compare notes (I’m a comparative public policy analyst, after all). We will, of course, be seeking volunteers and additional help closer to the date. Please do share this entry with your networks, any and all help is always appreciated.

Related posts:

1. Mental Health Camp Vancouver 2011: Diversity in Mental Health
2. After a very successful Mental Health Camp Vancouver 2010 #mhcyvr10
3. After a successful Mental Health Camp Vancouver ’09, towards a MHC ’10

Opening Minds, the largest systematic effort in Canadian history to reduce the stigma of mental illness, was officially launched on Friday 2 October by the Honourable Michael Kirby, Chair of the Mental Health Commission of Canada.

The one thing that worries me is that a cool project on media portrayal of mental illness (the exact title appears to be “Mental Illness: Language and Content in News Media Coverage“ that is not within my areas of expertise. I can do very good media analyses and have both very strong quantitative AND qualitative research skills, but as I said I’m not really an expert on media studies nor on mental health. So since the call for proposals closes on Dec 15th, I’m crowdsourcing this and hoping to find someone who can collaborate on this project with me and a few other people I want to get involved in this.

Suggestions, anyone?

Related posts:

1. The Canada Post Foundation for Mental Health
2. Top Chefs for Mental Health (fundraiser for BC Mental Health Foundation)
3. Mental Health Camp Vancouver 2011: Diversity in Mental Health

From their website:

The Canada Post Foundation for Mental Health was formed when Canada Post adopted mental health as its cause of choice in 2007. Thanks to the support of Canadians across the country and of Canada Post employees, customers and suppliers, more than $1 million was raised for the Foundation in 2008.

Canada Post has recently issued a special commemorative stamp to fund raise for mental health. Each booklet they sell generates $1 for the Foundation, or you can donate at your convenience. I was also very pleasantly surprised that Canada Post supports many other mental health-related charities. Awesome!

Related posts:

1. Top Chefs for Mental Health (fundraiser for BC Mental Health Foundation)
2. Mental Health Camp Vancouver 2011: Diversity in Mental Health
3. Opening Minds (Mental Health Commission of Canada)

Many people have asked me how did we come up with the idea of Mental Health Camp. If my memory serves me right, Isabella and I were passing each other “paper tweets” and discussing the possibility of creating a MHC. After all, we both were Organizers of the Vancouver Blogger Meetup (I’m the current one and Isabella is my predecesor). We both were well-known and connected in the community. Isabella is an expert on mental health issues. I am a fairly decent event organizer and social media person. And we loved the idea of collaborating on a project together. We both felt incredibly inspired by the early work of Sparkling Amber who organized the panel, and by each and every one of the participants of Coping Digitally.

Two months, countless tweets, emails, phone calls and many hours spent organizing, negotiating details of catering (thanks to BC Mental Health Foundation for their amazing support and a huge THANK YOU to LunchBox for their very generous gift/discount -the food was extraordinary!), Isabella and I met at 7:50am this morning just outside WorkSpace. The first phrase we said was “ok! the day is finally here! we ARE in business! Mental Health Camp Vancouver 2009 is happening, really happening!”

To my volunteers, especially Caroline, Air, John, Erica, Adrienne, Jennifer and Gus – love you guys SO much! You made my and Isabella’s lives SO much easier.

To Cathy Browne, the official Media Liaison and Public Relations Concierge of Mental Health Camp Vancouver 2009, thank you SO much! Twenty years of experience in the PR field are definitely noticeable. Without you, we couldn’t have handled media relations and PR, and your wisdom was incredibly helpful. Also, you kept both Isabella and myself sane! Smart PR firms in Vancouver should feel excited to have you work for them in the PR field!

To WorkSpace, words are not enough to thank you, Dane and Greg. You rocked our world. Your generosity and friendship is truly valued.

In addition to the great support of the BC Mental Health Foundation for their generous donation towards lunch, I have to give a huge shout-out to LunchBox, the official caterers of Mental Health Camp Vancouver 2009. The food was amazing, and we are incredibly grateful for the generous discount gift you gave us. Thank you!

To the amazing participants and presenters we had, thanks SO much for sharing, for keeping an open mind, for discussing ideas in such a thoughtful and kind and loving way.

And with that, I bid you good night. It was a wonderful day! And yes, you guessed right. There WILL be a Mental Health Camp Vancouver 2010!

Related posts:

1. After a very successful Mental Health Camp Vancouver 2010 #mhcyvr10
2. Mental Health Camp Vancouver 2011: Diversity in Mental Health
3. On cancelling Mental Health Camp Vancouver 2011

Thanks also to Cathy Browne for her hard work and excellent copywriting skills which helped create the press release – we will have it ready early next week. So, mark your calendars, April 25th, 2009 (9am – 6pm, WorkSpace), Mental Health Camp is happening!. Thanks to sponsors, organizers, volunteers!

Related posts:

1. Mental Health Camp Vancouver 2011: Diversity in Mental Health
2. After a successful Mental Health Camp Vancouver ’09, towards a MHC ’10
3. Mental Health Camp expanding – you interested?

It is a known fact that WorkSpace has been a phenomenal supporter of events organized by the Vancouver tech community has always been superb. From events like Net Tuesday to BarCamp to a number of other events, WorkSpace has always been super-mega-ultra-awesome with us. So I felt pretty confident that they’d be willing to help and sponsor the space for Mental Health Camp (link takes you to the wiki page)

I recently spoke with Dane about what we were trying to accomplish with Mental Health Camp. He very quickly agreed to support us and for that, I am extremely grateful. I can’t thank WorkSpace enough. If you haven’t checked out WorkSpace and you are an entrepreneur based out of Vancouver, I would strongly recommend you to swing by.

WorkSpace is a shared work environment in downtown Vancouver. Our Gastown loft has meeting rooms, a lounge & a café surrounding a beautiful open concept work environment. We provide memberships (not leases) to independent professionals and small firms looking for a better place to work. WorkSpace

Thanks so much for helping with a worthy cause such as Mental Health Camp. Very much appreciated! So now, we have a date and we have a place – Saturday April 25th, 2009 – WorkSpace.

Related posts:

1. Mental Health Camp Vancouver 2009
2. After a successful Mental Health Camp Vancouver ’09, towards a MHC ’10
3. Mental Health Camp website and registration live!

Beyond the fact that Airdrie, Tod, and Isabella (who were the speakers at the Coping Digitally panel) are all very good friends of mine, I have had a brush with depression not only through my shared experiences with several of my friends (including Tris, who is a dear friend), but also through the very common Seasonal Affective Disorder. During periods of rain (not infrequent in Vancouver), I sometimes (not very often) get all down. And, in case you wanted to know, yes – I have been heartbroken and during that time, I really felt very, very depressed. I came out of it quite quickly, though.

One Thursday last year (November of 2008), I recall being awake at 3 am and feeling incredibly down. I was looking at everything from the perspective of someone who had failed at everything. This, coming from someone who actually has had as much success as I have. But the weather, the fact that it was late at night and the feeling of loneliness all worked me up and I felt like crap. I have thanked Lorraine several times for talking me through and help me break out of it that one time and I will thank her again here. I am grateful that whenever I have felt down, I’ve had my friends there to support me and help me through.

It is rare, very rare that I feel down, but when I do, I am always surrounded by loving people who talk me through it. And therefore, I do have a personal stake in making Mental Health Camp a reality. Not only because several people I love are afflicted with mental illnesses, but also because I am a firm believer that we need to break down the stigma. I admire the bravery and strength of people who speak out about their illness, and I want to help many others speak out.

I am not a mental health professional at all (but Isabella is), but I am a very loving individual and I am good at organizing events, so that’s why I’ve decided to help in any way I can. If you want to jot down ideas and thoughts on the Wiki Page (thanks Isabella for initiating it), please feel free to do so.

Isabella‘s idea of Mental Health Camp is to have a very fluid, organic event. My thought is to have a one day (perhaps on a Saturday) event. I am more than happy to speak to people about sponsorship (mostly food and refreshment sponsorships – I already have an idea of where I would like to hold it). I’ll need volunteers to work the door (registration), help with food set up and stuff like that, but I have learned (from my experience at BarCamp) that the best way to do this is to divide the tasks amongst a LOT of people. Contact me over Twitter or leave a comment or send me an email.

The technical details will be handled by Isabella (e.g. which topics, and so on) – there is a very fertile discussion on her blog already, and on the Wiki page. Add your thoughts too. And if you’d like to volunteer to help with organizing, do let me know!

Related posts:

1. Mental Health Camp Vancouver 2009
2. Mental Health Camp Vancouver 2011: Diversity in Mental Health
3. After a successful Mental Health Camp Vancouver ’09, towards a MHC ’10