Carleton’s Mental Illness Awareness Week saw students and guest speakers work together to reduce the stigma of mental illness on campus and open up the discussion to Carleton students.
Gina Parker, Carleton University Students’ Association (CUSA) vice-president (student issues), said the initiative is integral for university campuses, where there is a large number of people with mental health issues.
“It’s important for our students because we have students who are suffering from mental illness who feel alienated. We have to de-stigmatize mental illness in general to make them feel more a part of our campus community,” she said.
A number of events and resources for students were scheduled for the awareness week, Oct. 7-11, including a panel discussion with individuals dealing with mental illness and a presentation by Margaret Trudeau, hosted by CUSA.
Trudeau, former wife of late prime minister Pierre Elliott Trudeau, spoke Oct. 7 about her lifelong battle with bipolar disorder.
“We all assume our brains work just fine. But that’s just not true,” Trudeau said.
“Slowly it was like a light switch had been turned off in my mind. I didn’t want to get out of bed, I didn’t want to nurse my newborn,” she said of her illness shortly after the birth of her second son, Alexandre.
Throughout her speech, Trudeau emphasized the importance of seeking professional help for mental illness combined with a structured plan for exercise, sleep, and good nutrition.
Other CUSA Mental Illness Awareness Week events include a photo shoot Oct. 10 aimed at de-stigmatizing mental illness, and speaker Justin McKenna, who will give a presentation about brain injuries.
The awareness week isn’t the only mental health-related initiative happening on campus.
This week coincides with Carleton receiving $640,000 from the Government of Ontario for its new project with the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board, said John
Meissner, program lead for From Intention to Action (FIT: Action).
Meissner said the program is in the first phase of working with local high school guidance counsellors to identify students and offer support for those who, if they came to Carleton, wouldn’t qualify for disability support services through the Paul Menton Centre.
Part of the funds are going to current Carleton students as well, which include those in the FIT: Action program who self-identified as “overwhelmed” in the area of mental health, Meissner said.
“I think it’s really important for people to talk more about mental health. Discussions to raise awareness means people can actually get support,” he said.
