Mental Illness Awareness Speakers
Mark Henick is one of Canada’s most acclaimed mental health advocates. Informed by his direct experience with the mental health care system as a teen, Mark has authored commentaries on issues relating to mental health for major media outlets across Canada and the U.S. His talk at TEDx Talk ‘Why we Choose Suicide‘ has captured over 750,000 views, making it the most viewed Talk of the 2013 Toronto conference.
Mark was recently names one of the spokespeople for the Canadian Alliance of Mental Illness and Mental Health’s (CAMIMH) Mental Illness Awareness Week. Occurring in November, the event is an annual national public education campaign designed to help open the eyes of Canadians to the reality of mental illness.
Mark was featured at our Engage Speaker Talks in Toronto last month as a part of our Mental Health Panel. Here are some highlights from his talk:
We asked Mark to share his thoughts on some important areas of Mental Health:
Why is MIAW so important?
National campaigns like Mental Illness Awareness Week help to highlight what is arguably the most important, yet often most often forgotten fact about people who happened to have experienced a mental illness: there is no “us versus them.” That is, of course, because we are them. Like many other illnesses, people from a diverse range of backgrounds can experience any number of mental health problems. These can vary widely in both severity and duration, as well as impact that it has on an individual’s life. We know a great deal more today about how this happens and the biology of mental illness – especially the neurology and genetics – than we ever have before. We also have many years worth of scientific evidence on the environmental and social factors at play, as well as on how people best recover in them. One important example is that we now know that these domains are not mutually exclusive: our brain changes our mind, and our mind changes our brain The depth of knowledge that we have about mental illness is still not yet public knowledge. Broad-based campaigns which feature living examples of that knowledge in action help to communicate it.How do we best overcome the stigma surrounding mental health discussion, as individuals and as a community?
Stigma reduction starts, as any action does, as a thought. We need to be open to the fact that this is a rapidly developing field and that we are learning more every day. Many of the old ways of doing things, of treating people, of talking about mental health (and about the people who encounter problems with it), are no longer current. It is the task of a responsible citizen to try and keep up with this progress and, most importantly, be willing to change their mind. That said, research has shown that simply changing attitudes does not necessarily change behaviors. Most people know that smoking is harmful, but people still smoke. That’s where it becomes important to target behaviours. You are no longer allowed to smoke in many public spaces because it has the potential to harm others. Likewise, stigmatizing behaviours harm the people they are directed at, and therefore cannot be allowed to occur. In fact, many report that the stigma can feel worse than the symptoms. One example of where these behavioural changes can happen involves the training of our law enforcement and health professionals. As more individuals in these groups become increasingly mindful of how to perform their very necessary duties without stigmatizing people who may (or may not) have a mental illness, people they are there to help, everyone will benefit.Is social media the best knowledge sharing and exchange system around mental health in Canada and globally?
Social media can have a mixed effect when it comes to raising awareness for mental health, but I think that it is ultimately a very positive vehicle for changing minds. On the one hand, the creation of a positive message that then gets widely shared can help to get people thinking and maybe even talking about mental health. However, as we’ve said, thinking and talking is necessary, but not necessarily sufficient. We have to act. The added factor of anonymity can be a problem, in that it seemingly gives people licence to say hurtful things that they would otherwise not say to someone in person. That could, and has had very real and tragic consequences for people on the receiving end. The positive side to this anonymity is that it can also allow people to feel that they can express how they are feeling more freely. Some online counselling services make excellent use of this advantage. Posting on social media can also invite people from around the world to connect with a person who may not have any other connections in their life, and has even been used to notice warning signs of a possible mental health problem and even for suicide. As social media becomes more personal, and as it integrates itself more into our day-to-day lives, I think that you will see it start to take on more of the humanity that it sometimes lacks today.How can we create mentally healthy workplaces?
An open workplace is a healthy one. Many people report that they fear telling their boss about a mental health problem that they’ve been experiencing because they are fearful that it will negatively impact their career. There are disturbingly high statistics around such beliefs as that a person with a mental illness is unreliable, untrustworthy, ineffective, and lacking ambition. These statistics are disturbing because they are false. At least, they are no more true for someone who happens to experience a mental health problem than they are for someone who doesn’t. It is not ok to say these things about virtually any other classification, such as race, religion, or gender. Even, for that matter, for any physical illness or disability. Bill may or may not make his deadline, but that only has any relevance at all to his diabetes, his cane, his Christianity, or his depression if it happens to for him. Once we build a better understanding in workplaces of what mental health and mental illnesses are (and what they are not), then we can move toward accommodations in a more informed and compassionate manner. It is not just beneficial to the employee to have their mental health safeguarded at work. In fact, by increasing productivity as well as decreasing sick time and disability leave in their workforce, employers actually improve their bottom line. Workplace mental health is more than a compassionate cause – it’s good business.What has your processes of recovery taught you?
The most important lesson that I’ve learned from recovery is that we, all of us, have to continually be recovering. That is, this isn’t a process reserved only to those who contract a mental illness. This is the human quest of improvement and self understanding. When we see and feel what it’s like to be so deprived of joy, and love, and forgiveness, and hope that we even consider death – that’s what makes happiness all the more fulfilling when we get there. As the poet and mystic Rumi once wrote, “The wound is the place where the light enters you.” Indeed it is, and it does.For more info on Mark, check out his NSB profile.
An award-winning journalist and author, Ann Dowsett Johnston is well respected for her expertise in higher education, alcohol addiction and public policy relating to both. For 14 years, she oversaw two bestselling projects: the Maclean’s University Rankings and the Maclean’s Guide to Canadian Universities. Her book Drink: The Intimate Relationship Between Women and Alcohol explores the motivations, pressures and challenges that can lead women to drink in excess.
Ann was featured at our Engage Speaker Talks in Toronto last month as a part of our Mental Health Panel. Here are some highlights from her talk:
We asked Ann to share her thoughts on some important areas of Mental Health:
Why is MIAW so important?
Mental Illness Awareness Week offers Canadians an important opportunity to further our growing national dialogue about one of life’s tougher subjects. As a person who has suffered significant depression in her lifetime, I believe it’s incumbent upon me to join the chorus of voices: to help reduce the stigma around this difficult illness and to pave the way for a more thoughtful appreciation of just how many are touched by mental illness in its many forms. I believe it is my responsibility to be open about my history, so that I can help others. We cannot do this alone.How do we best overcome the stigma surrounding mental health discussion, as individuals and as a community?
With treatment and time, people can and do get well. This is an important fact, one that needs to be shared openly. We need to demystify the process of healing. With a convergence of voices in so many communities, we are de-stigmatizing mental illness. The dialogue has begun, and it must not go silent.How can we better support in exchanging knowledge around mental health in Canada?
As a country, we need to invest in research, share information on best treatment practices and sound the call for further investigation. This is the century of the brain and we need to be relentless in our making mental health a priority.How can we create mentally healthy workplaces?
We need to be able to support talented and dedicated individuals as they navigate the labyrinth of finding care, of getting and staying well. Employers can play an enormous role in this process of cultural change: by not shaming; by offering the resources to support employees in their transition to health; by encouraging those who suffer to take the opportunity to heal. Some of the most talented employees may suffer profoundly: when I was at the height of my depression, I was running the most lucrative university rankings for Maclean’s, winning National Magazine Awards year after year. I wrestled with severe depression for 12 years before getting appropriate help, too ashamed to share my burden with anyone. Progressive employers engage in the dialogue of anti-stigma campaigns, offer appropriate support and underscore the importance of work-life balance.What has your processes of recovery taught you?
More than anything else, I have learned that I am responsible for my own self-care, for balancing my life, for making room for healing and health. I am enormously resilient and I have reclaimed my life. In fact, my life has never been more rewarding. But it has been a tough journey to make my way back to health. This is not for the faint of heart. In this era of smartphones and constant contact, both employers and individuals need to engage in an honest and productive dialogue about work-life balance. Professional women, especially, need to be alert to the self-care piece, to appreciate that they will need strong support as they manage families and seniority at work. We are in the middle of a massive sociological shift and we need to support our talented women as they navigate the journey of parenthood and professional achievement. There is much to be said on this subject and I would love to lead the way.For more info on Ann, check out her NSB profile.
Frank Warren is the most trusted stranger in North America. He is the creator of The PostSecret Project, an ongoing community art project where people from all over the world mail in their secrets anonymously on one side of a postcard.
There is some big news in the world of PostSecret, including the release of ‘The World of PostSecret’ book. In addition to artful secrets, the book is loaded with full color PostSecret postcards and explores the expanding world of PostSecret with stories, Q & As and other images, including a peek into PostSecret headquarters.
Here’s a video overview on the world of PostSecret:
PostSecret is also releasing an album comprised of spoken secrets from the PostSecret Live: UK and Ireland Tour, set to music by Independent Music Award-winning composer One Hello World. You can Pre-order it now and get 2 advanced tracks right away. Learn more here.
In addition, PostSecret The Show is playing in Vancouver this month. Inspired by Frank’s postsecret.com, the performance is a visual, auditory and emotional journey through the beauty and complication of our deepest fears, ambitions and confessions. PostSecret also has an art project featured at the world’s largest museum and research complex The Smithsonian.
In 1990, the U.S. Congress established the first full week of October as Mental Illness Awareness Week (MIAW) in recognition of the National Alliance on Mental Illness’ efforts to raise mental illness awareness. Since then, mental health advocates across the country have joined with others in their communities to sponsor activities, large or small, for public education about mental illness.
We asked Frank to share his thoughts on some important areas of Mental Health: