“Talk”

There’s a lyric in the Coldplay song, “Talk” that has resonated with me this week: “You tell anyone who’ll listen but you feel ignored.”

When I hear that lyric I am reminded of an exchange in The Killer Trail between psychiatric social worker, Chris Ryder and his patient, Paul Butler. Paul voices dismay about how he is treated in his community because of his mental illness. He tells Chris that he feels ignored and ostracized when people learn of his diagnosis of Schizophrenia. He says he is looked at with a mixture of suspicion and fear.

Of course, KT is a fictional story. But for many individuals living with a mental illness this reality is all too real. According to the Canadian Institute of Health Research one in five Canadians will experience a form of mental illness at some point in their lives and yet two in three people will suffer in silence fearing judgement and rejection. Mental illness remains a subject people prefer to keep in the dark and not talk about due to the associated stigma.

That’s why initiatives such as Bell’s “Let’s Talk” mental health campaign this past week are important because they raise awareness about mental health issues and strive to break down the stigma associated with mental illness.

For more information you can check out sites such as the Schizophrenia Society at www.schizophrenia.ca and the Canadian Mental Health Association at www.cmha.ca.

Talk!