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Today I'm taking a mental health day. I've been trying over the course of this series to donate to a variety of types of causes. So far, some have been devoted to the physical health concerns that arise during a pandemic but this is the first time I've picked one that is specifically geared to mental health.
I've witnessed a sea change in the prevailing attitudes towards mental health over the course of my lifetime. Most of the changes have been welcome ones, occurring in tandem with changing attitudes towards women, feminism, sexual orientation, gender roles, identity and expression.
I looked at several contenders for a mental health charity but Salus was the one which won out this time, mainly because it focuses on a broad array of services to adults in the Ottawa area with serious mental health issues:
https://www.salusottawa.org/
Other contenders were Crossroads, geared to supporting children and youth and their families; services based at the Royal Ottawa; college- and university-based services focusing on the needs of students who have seen campus life totally disrupted; and mental health research organizations looking at the impact of pandemics on the mental health of specific groups or of the population at large.
To a great extent, I think we have succeeded in reducing the stigma previously associated with mental illness. Mental disorders are less likely today to be seen as shameful family secrets or signs of an innate character flaw (the "bad seed" idea). But I think maybe we still tend to draw a false dichotomy between "clinical" or "chemical" mental illness on the one hand and "situational" mental illness on the other. Sometimes they occur together and sometimes not - but that doesn't necessarily mean they are unconnected. Some people may just be more prone to depression and schizophrenia and definitely need pharmaceutical interventions at times but if life has just handed you a barrel-load of bitter lemons, might that not also lead to chemical changes in your brain?
Similarly, treatment can - and indeed should - involve self-care and manipulating the situation as well as seeking intervention in the form of pharmaceutical and other professional treatment. Personally, I have always wanted to manage my own health care, whether physical or mental, as far as possible. I've never been the type to rush to the doctor or psychologist or other counsellor at the first sign of a problem. Self-reliance is definitely good to have during a pandemic when in-person consultations with professionals are not always possible.
Maybe one positive outcome of this pandemic will be a more holistic view of patient care?
I've witnessed a sea change in the prevailing attitudes towards mental health over the course of my lifetime. Most of the changes have been welcome ones, occurring in tandem with changing attitudes towards women, feminism, sexual orientation, gender roles, identity and expression.
I looked at several contenders for a mental health charity but Salus was the one which won out this time, mainly because it focuses on a broad array of services to adults in the Ottawa area with serious mental health issues:
https://www.salusottawa.org/
Other contenders were Crossroads, geared to supporting children and youth and their families; services based at the Royal Ottawa; college- and university-based services focusing on the needs of students who have seen campus life totally disrupted; and mental health research organizations looking at the impact of pandemics on the mental health of specific groups or of the population at large.
To a great extent, I think we have succeeded in reducing the stigma previously associated with mental illness. Mental disorders are less likely today to be seen as shameful family secrets or signs of an innate character flaw (the "bad seed" idea). But I think maybe we still tend to draw a false dichotomy between "clinical" or "chemical" mental illness on the one hand and "situational" mental illness on the other. Sometimes they occur together and sometimes not - but that doesn't necessarily mean they are unconnected. Some people may just be more prone to depression and schizophrenia and definitely need pharmaceutical interventions at times but if life has just handed you a barrel-load of bitter lemons, might that not also lead to chemical changes in your brain?
Similarly, treatment can - and indeed should - involve self-care and manipulating the situation as well as seeking intervention in the form of pharmaceutical and other professional treatment. Personally, I have always wanted to manage my own health care, whether physical or mental, as far as possible. I've never been the type to rush to the doctor or psychologist or other counsellor at the first sign of a problem. Self-reliance is definitely good to have during a pandemic when in-person consultations with professionals are not always possible.
Maybe one positive outcome of this pandemic will be a more holistic view of patient care?
