Mental health conversations improving, but still more to do
When Ellen Taylor first started her podcast dedicated to depression and mental health back in 2020, she was not expecting the support she received.
The podcast, called Taylored to Heal, started as a pandemic project she did on the side of her regular job as a teacher in Summerside. Soon, Taylor was getting dozens of messages from people across P.E.I. who were looking to share their story with her.
“At the time, I felt like there weren't enough people on P.E.I. who were really willing to speak out about depression and mental health,” said Taylor.
In 2019, Taylor helped organize a public forum to talk about mental health in her community.
“We had someone from the school wellness teams, people from mental health and addictions and three people who shared their story,” Taylor said.
“After that, there have just been so many people sharing their stories with me, so that's kind of what started it,” she said.
'REGULAR PEOPLE
CAN HAVE THESE STRUGGLES TOO'
Taylor teaches Grade 4 and Grade 5 French immersion at Greenfield Elementary school in Summerside, making it difficult to continue the podcast regularly, uploading the last episode of the podcast in December 2020. Despite that, people often still reach out to talk about their mental health struggles.
“I just find that people need to see that regular people can have these struggles too,” she said.
“I know when I was going through my own mental health addictions I had an idea in my head about the stereotypes.”
Negative stigmas surrounding mental health is one of the main reasons people don't feel comfortable talking publicly about the subject, said Taylor.
“People say you just see a psychiatrist, take some medication and get on with it, but that's just not the journey for a lot of people. It's so complex,” she said.
“I know people who will say they never had depression because they don't want to be stigmatized, whether it's from their job or their family.”
COVID IMPACT ON MENTAL HEALTH
Since the start of the pandemic, significantly more people have reached out to Taylor to talk about their struggles.
“People are just sort of getting more mentally ill and staying isolated,” she said.
“For vulnerable people in society, there is a lot on their plate and they're not doing well.”
After talking to many people at walk-in clinics and hospitals, it's clear preconceived notions about mental health still exist, said Taylor.
“It still feels like people are feeling stigmatized and I think a lot of that is that doctors aren't trained well enough in that. They don't know either.”
The solution is for more people to speak out about their struggles, said Taylor.
“It's not a moral deficiency,” she said. “It's like any other physical illness, so we need to start talking about it like that. If more people shared and more people spoke out that would help.”
Events such as Bell Let's Talk Day — a digital and social media awareness program designed to break the silence around mental illness and support mental health all across Canada — are great examples of ways people can talk about their struggles safely, said Taylor.
“Any exposure about mental health that gives people an avenue to talk about it I think is good,” she said.
“You never know who you're going to help and your words might mean so much to somebody that you're not even thinking about.”
Bell Let's Talk Day, marked this year on Jan. 26, was started more than 10 years ago by Bell Media. The annual event is the largest corporate commitment to mental health in Canada, with Bell providing grants up to $25,000 for Canadians with projects aimed at improving access mental health care.
SHARING THEIR STORIES
The campaign has made it easier for many Canadians to talk about their struggles with mental health, said Ashley Belanger-Birt, a provincial peer support coordinator with the Canadian Mental Health Association's P.E.I. Division, (CHMA).
“It has given so many people the opportunity to share their stories. I am a very optimistic person, and I think this is amazing to give people that platform,” said Belanger-Birt.
Belanger-Birt became a peer support worker after dealing with her own mental health issues for years.
“I realized I wanted to use what I have been through to help other people,” she said.
Each support worker in P.E.I. with the CMHA has an average caseload of 30 people.
“We usually see 300 people per year, but that number has been growing,” Belanger-Birt said.
The highest age demographic is between 19-35, but more elderly people have started to come forward in recent years, she said.
“I feel like with things like Bell Let's Talk, the older generations are becoming more comfortable talking about the issues they've had the majority of their lives,” she said.
“People are realizing that the next person to you probably has mental illness,” she said. “It's not so hidden anymore.”
MAKING IMPROVEMENTS
Connie Hardy, a 62-year-old woman from Prince County, P.E.I., has dealt with depression since she was a teenager.
She agrees things have come a long way.
“Being a teenager, it was like a mental hell,” said Hardy.
Growing up, nobody talked about depression in her community for fear of ridicule, said Hardy.
“That was a really big issue back then,” she said
“The doors were closed.
You didn't go out on the street and you didn't talk to your friends because those times were different.”
Eventually, Hardy was forced to go off-island to get the treatment she needed, a decision she is very thankful for.
“If I didn't have the support of family, I wouldn't have made it.”
Mental health awareness campaigns have given many people in her age group the courage to come forward and talk about their own struggles with mental health, said Hardy.
“It's OK now, you're not alone, and I think Bell has helped bring that out,” she said.
Although things have improved, there is much work to be done in the mental health care system, said Hardy.
“Here on P.E.I., it can take up to four months to get help. Five months to get a psychiatrist,” she said.
“The help is just not there. There are no counsellors, there's no professional help, and COVID hasn't helped anything.”
Hardy would like to see young people have easier access to mental health care and to remember they are not alone.
“I would like to see kids have a better chance of getting counselling, I think that's a big reason why you don't see them coming forward as much as they should,” she said.
“Just don't throw that towel in, talk to your family, and get the support you need.”
Belanger-Birt said it's important to remember everyone has likely struggled with mental health in some way, and open dialogue is crucial to ending any negativity around mental health.
“We're starting to live in a society that's more accepting and more aware of what's happening around us, and there's always someone there that's going to want to help you,” she said.
Taylor agrees.
“A lot of healing comes from telling your story. Some people won't understand and some people will support you no matter what,” said Taylor.
“When you share your truth, a lot of peace comes with that.”