It is Mental Health Week in Canada. It aims to raise awareness and end the stigma that continues to surround mental health.
Pauline Hyatt with the Canadian Mental Health Association says ‘Empathy’ is this year’s theme.
“When someone is struggling, you don’t have to fix it. You just have to be there. So practicing empathy is something that we can all do to help each other. If empathy doesn’t come easy to you, the good news is that it can be learned and practiced. Empathy can help us know ourselves and our own feelings. It can help us communicate,” says Hyatt.
A new survey from CMHA and UBC researchers finds just 13 per cent of Canadians are feeling empathetic, down from 23 per cent at the start of the pandemic.
The survey also revealed that 36 per cent of Atlantic Canadians are as worried about lost social connections and being separated from friends and family (37 per cent) as they are about getting sick with COVID (39 per cent).
The CHMA is also using the week to promote the services available in the community.
Hyatt says there is a role for the public to play.
“First is to reach out and connect, whether that be with your neighbour, a friend, or contacting one of the many agencies that we have in town. All of that is useful and helpful. We’re trying to reduce the stigma, and we’re trying to talk about mental health and addictions.”
One in five Canadians will personally experience a mental health problem or illness in any given year. By the age of 40, about half of the population will have or have had a mental illness.
If you need help, contact the Mental Health Helpline or call 1-866-531-2600.
With files from Randy Thoms and Brad Perry.
