Break the stigma on mental health
Mental health issues will be at the forefront during the Defeat Depression campaign.
A launch event was held Tuesday at Penticton’s Mental Wellness Centre to promote the seventh annual Walk to Defeat Depression. The walk will take place at Penticton’s Rotary Park on Sept. 29 at 1 p.m.
Each month leading up to the walk, there will be events. The first is June 10 at Pure Gym with a spin class from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. On July 17, there will be a lunch at the Nest and Nectar.
Event organizer Obi Oniah encourages people to check the event’s Facebook page to stay updated.
“This sort of thing raises big awareness to people in our communities,” says Oniah, who has had his own battles with depression. “It’s very important.”
Oniah has experienced losing close friends who have taken their lives as they battled problems. Those experiences opened his eyes in other ways. “It makes you realize this is really serious,” he says. “Some people think this doesn’t happen to me. The people that are affected by mental health are living in shame. They feel the stigma. They don’t want to talk about it, especially guys. We don’t talk about our feelings. This will hopefully enable people to come out and talk about it.”
Melody Braconnier relates to what Oniah said about staying silent.
She grew up in a difficult home environment where she experienced abuse and there was a history of mental health concerns,
Bracconier, 55, says it has also been hard coping with ongoing mental health issues with which she was diagnosed at 21.
“I am constantly dealing with recognizing my triggers and dealing with it,” she says, adding she has felt shame. “Growing up made me the strong person I am.”
She is writing a book on her life titled, “I Wasn’t In My Right Mind, But I Am Now.”
Oniah says that one in four people are impacted by mental health difficulties and people need to do something about it.
Sharon Evans, president of the Mental Wellness Center, says their walk leads into the Mental Illness Week, which is Sept. 30 to Oct.6.
Evans said the initiative is important to break stigmas: “We need to be stepping up to the plate and saying, “But (mental illness) is a health issue.”