Recognize mental health issues, respond
If we use our abilities to support others, can we help build a healthier and happier society for all?
The recent tragic report of suicide by Chester Bennington, frontman for the band Linkin Park, comes shortly after Chris Cornell, lead singer for Soundgarden, took his own life. Early reports put mental health issues as major contributors to these tragedies. Over the past few months, I have heard stories from friends and family members of loved ones who are struggling with mental illness. Tragedies similar to Bennington’s and Cornell’s have also befallen on their families.
Harvard Business School professor Howard H. Stevenson and senior research fellow Laura L. Nash once completed examinations of successful people, which led them to conclude that there are “four satisfactions of enduring success.
Achievement: Do you measure accomplishments against an external goal? Power, wealth, recognition, competition against others.
Happiness: Is there contentment or pleasure with and about your life?
Significance: Do you have a valued impact on others whom you choose?
Legacy: Have you infused your values and your accomplishments into the lives of others to leave something behind?”
Let’s take a look at significance for a moment. Stevenson’s and Nash’s research demonstrated that if we take action to have a positive “valued impact on others” we will also live happier lives. So if we recognize someone facing mental illness and take action we, too, will benefit from this act of kindness.
One in five Canadians “will experience a mental health problem this year” according to the Canadian Mental Health Commission of Canada. A Canadian government web portal on public health states “mental illness is the reduced ability for a person to function effectively over a prolonged period of time because of: significant levels of distress, changes in thinking, mood or behaviour, feelings of isolation, loneliness and sadness, and the feeling of being disconnected from people and activities.”
So, if you see someone exhibiting “reduced abilities” over time what can you do?
Luckily we have the Canadian Mental Health Association Niagara branch with locations in St. Catharines, Niagara Falls, Fort Erie and Welland (http://cmhaniagara.ca/contactus). For general inquiries for all locations call 905641-5222 or email info@cmhaniagara.ca. If you or someone you care for is in crisis you have several 24/7 alternatives on this website including Distress Centre Niagara at 905688-3711.
Let’s take this one step further. The Canadian Mental Health Association states very clearly that each of us can make a “difference by advocating for people who experience mental illnesses.”
“Let leaders and policy-makers know that your community includes everyone, and support organizations that work to give everyone a voice.”
Niagara leaders can be found in business, not-for-profits and education so our “advocacy for people who experience mental illness” can start with our own employers.
Niagara College, my employer, has taken action to roll out mental health awareness training to all staff this spring and summer, which reflects our corporate values of being “respectful and inclusive.” The college’s “recognize, respond and refer” approach speaks to the “valued impact” that Niagara College team members want to have on our students and co-workers. I reached out to my colleague Brian Hutchings, vice-president at Brock University, to learn how our post-secondary neighbour was addressing this issue. He was quick to cite Sarah Pennisi’s efforts for students and state that at “Brock we have been proactive with an employee wellness day; mental health training programs and educational seminars; and various employee benefit programs designed to strengthen an employee’s overall mental health.”
Niagara’s post-secondary institutions have demonstrated to other employers how they can make a difference in the lives of their employees. Training staff to recognize, respond and refer people exhibiting “reduced abilities” to the existing service providers in our region will build a better Niagara.
Bennington’s lyrics in Linkin Park’s 2017 song Heavy, “Why is everything so heavy? Holding on. To so much more than I can carry. I keep dragging around what’s bringing me down. If I just let go, I’d be set free …” paints a clear picture of the struggles many people are facing. If you take significant action, you will be a leader that builds a healthier and happier society for all.
— Damian Goulbourne was mayor of Welland from 2003 to 2010, has been a Niagara College faculty member in the business, hospitality and environmental division since 1999 and is currently associate dean (acting) of the school of hospitality, tourism and sport.