stig-ma ~ a mark of disgrace associated with a particular circumstance, quality or person People who live with mental illness face stigma every day; treated differently, as if they’re less than others. The stigma is very real and it hurts. Stigma occurs whenever there are negative judgements or stereotypes about those with any form of mental illness. When someone is called “dangerous” or “crazy”, that’s when stigma shows.Read More →
I was contacted by Lukas Schwarzenbacher from Islandart GmbH located in Switzerland. He had asked if I could place their short film on our website, and I am more than happy to.Read More →
Bell Let’s Talk is January 31 2018 and a great day to share those mental health resources for those who may need it. I have compiled a list below.Read More →
You know the affect abusive relationships can have on your mental health but did you know the toxic friend can have the same affect? When I was younger I remember my father telling me to be careful who you chose to be your friends. Who knew I’d have to need to hear these words when I was 40 years old.Read More →
I grew up in a household where I thought life was normal. I thought everyone’s parents fought, thought dad always beat and raped mom, thought playing mind games was normal, I thought this was what everyone lived like. Years later I’d come to realize, NO, this is not normal!Read More →
Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a pattern of unreasonable thoughts and fears (obsessions) that lead you to do repetitive behaviors (compulsions), which interfere with daily activities and can cause severe stress. You may feel the need to try and stop or ignore the OCD but that will just increase your anxiety. Eventually you will feel the need to stop the acts the OCD causes which will alleviate the stress. You will find, eventually, the acts will keep coming back; this is the vicious cycle of OCD.Read More →
Children of all ages are naturally curious and constantly asking questions. We, as adults, need to be attentive and take the time to listen. The generation now, is exposed to the awareness of mental illness, more than previous generations. It’s our responsibility to help educate our children about the world around them.Read More →
My life, like everyone else’s, had its ups and downs. My brother and I would take turns spending weekends with both grandmothers’; go to church, to the library, do some baking and play games. We had the best time with them. While at home, everyone would be quiet, doing their own thing. Usually during birthdays or holidays is where you’d find us happy, joking and enjoying our time together. It wasn’t until years later, I discovered why we spent so much time away from our parents. My father had been diagnosed with manic depression during his teenage years and we didn’t know this until IRead More →
Doug Smith is a Canadian retired former professional ice hockey player who played for the Los Angeles Kings, Buffalo Sabres, Edmonton Oilers, Vancouver Canucks and Pittsburgh Penguins over the course of his career. At 18 years old, Doug was drafted 2nd overall into the NHL to play for the Los Angeles Kings as their youngest player ever.Read More →
Ron Ellis started out as a professional hockey player to speaker, now speaks about his personal experience with depression. Ron Ellis is remembered for his career with the Toronto Maple Leafs and member of the Team Canada hockey team. During his 15 years as a professional player, he assisted in bringing the Stanley Cup home for the Leafs in 1967 and won against the Russians with Team Canada in the World Hockey Summit Series in 1972.Read More →