By paNOW Staff

Local mental health advocates still working to overcome stigma

May 2, 2016 | 12:29 PM

Progress continues to be made to increase awareness of mental health issues, but organizers of a week of events planned for the Battlefords said there is still work left to be done.

“There’s lots of things in the media about how important mental health is, and there’s more awareness,” Jane Zielke de Montbrun said. Zielke de Montbrun is the executive director of the Battlefords branch of the Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA).

She said, however, many people are just too uncomfortable to talk about their own mental wellness.

“People don’t want to talk about it. Because it’s a really scary, scary proposition to open yourself up because you don’t know how someone’s going to react. Part of it is education…Many of us don’t know what mental illness looks like. I think it is getting better, but we’ve still got lots to do.”

Zielke de Montbrun helped raise the CMHA flag in front of North Battleford City Hall to mark Mental Health Week. The association is working with the Prairie North Health Region, the Edwards Society, the Registered Psychiatric Nurses Association, the Lighthouse, and Battle River Treaty Six Health Centre to stage a number of events.

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Zielke de Montbrun was looking forward to a talent show scheduled for 1:15 p.m. on May 4 where residents of Saskatchewan Hospital will be performing. On May 5, the Walk for Awareness will proceed from the CMHA office on 103rd  St., along 100th St. to Sobeys.

“Everybody should come out and support mental health. It affects us all in one way or another,” she said. “Whether it’s us, somebody we work with, somebody we know or a family member. We’re all impacted by mental health problems, and we need to pay attention to how important it is to keep ourselves mentally healthy.”

Other events include a progress celebration May 3 at the new Saskatchewan Hospital site, and a community barbecue at the Lighthouse on May 6.

gsmith@jpbg.ca

Twitter: @smithco