Mental Health Fair in Hardisty aimed to open eyes and end stigma around depression and suicide

Neil Harris from Alberta Health Services introduces a video presentation called, “Too tough to talk about it” during a Mental Health Fair in Hardisty.

Wednesday, Sept. 10 was National Suicide Prevention day, and organizers of the Mental Health Fair in Hardisty made that their focus as they invited the Flagstaff and Hardisty Complex communities in to talk about mental health issues, and raise awareness.

Katherine Gagnon, Health Promotion Facilitator with Alberta Health Services, says, “We had over 100 people in attendance, that was a very good turnout.”

The Man Van, a mobile cancer screening unit targeting men was supposed to be at the event, but had to cancel due to a snowstorm in Calgary, where it was coming from.

“With the cancellation, I wasn’t sure how the event was going to go,” Gagnon says, “but I was very happy with all of the support we got from the oil companies and the Town of Hardisty for helping us pull this together.

“Best of all, it was great to have a community conversation about mental health and be able to share resources and supports that are available in the community, especially for newcomers.”

The Mood Disorder Society was on hand to give some presentations, they talked about their “Elephant in the Room” campaign as well as other programs to get people talking and help eliminate stigma associated with mental illness in the workplace.

The campaign revolves around posters featuring an elephant.

“When you display your blue elephant, you show that you care about the wellness of others and demonstrate that your workplace is a safe place to talk about mental illness without fear of being looked upon differently.

“When you see our little blue elephant, you know that this is a safe place to speak about any mental health issues you or your family may be having.

“You will be treated with respect and dignity, you will not be stigmatized in any way, and you will find the support and understanding from a friend who cares.”

One of the speakers from the society told those gathered, “It is our goal to raise the issue of mental health from the ground up.”

mental-health-fair-Sept-16-14-elephant-in-the-room The Society will work with employers to encourage workplaces to adopt these types of campaigns into policy, to encourage staff to support one another, and remove the stigma surrounding mental health issues.

“We need to defeat depression in local communities at the grassroots level, with neighbours helping neighbours.”

Other campaigns offered by the Society encourage communities to organize together to hold Defeat Depression Walks, that not only raise funds to keep local community groups viable, but also to raise awareness.

Neil Harris, from Alberta Health Services, made two presentations of a video called “Too tough to talk about it.”

“We got great feedback from these sessions,” says Flagstaff Family and Community Services Executive Director, Lynne Jenkinson.

The video features speakers from within Alberta’s oil and gas and trucking industries speaking candidly about their own experiences with mental health.

One speaker talked about dealing with impossible work schedules, with no rest.

“During days off, I would unwind in less-than-healthy ways, and then go back to work still mentally exhausted,” he said. “Sleep is an essential commodity for brain health.”