This week is Mental Health Awareness Week, and the fight to end the stigma surrounding mental health continues.
Charlene Mahon, a professor of psychology at Lambton College, says it's important to remember that physical and mental health are dependant on each other.
"Mental health and physical health go hand-in-hand, no question," she says. "We can't separate them. When one suffers, the other suffers. I think it's much easier to pay focus to physical health because obviously it's what we can see. Mental health goes a lot deeper."
Mahon says it's important for people to also learn how to help people struggling as well as themselves, and learn how to be a good friend and an effective, compassionate listener. She also notes that it's important to show people struggling that you care, because mental health issues that aren't addressed can affect many things in a person's life.
"If they're hiding their symptoms and not sure of what's going on and not seeking treatment, then that's definitely going to have some effects on physical health, and just our ability to cope and maintain our daily lives in our homes, and schools and workplaces," she says.
Mahon leads a student volunteer team called "Let's Face It" at Lambton College in Sarnia. Team members go into local high schools to teach students about mental health, and how to effectively manage it. She says if someone is struggling, the best thing to do initially is reach out to a friend.
"What I would suggest and what we've seen be successful in our area to a degree, is reach out to a friend," she says. "Those are the people that you trust, that are close to you and have your back."
Mahon notes their research shows kids are more likely to feel safe reaching out to a friend with something first, before potentially seeking help from parents, teachers or doctors.
There are many local mental health groups in Midwestern Ontario to reach out to if you're struggling, including WesForYouthOnline and GetInTouchForHutch. Those websites can be found here:
http://www.wesforyouthonline.ca/ http://getintouchforhutch.com/
