WORLD MENTAL HEALTH DAY
Today is World Mental Health Day. A day dedicated to bringing awareness to the very real suffering experienced by millions of people struggling with mental health illness. The world is not always a pleasant place, and people are faced with a whole host of difficulties. The news is a stream of negativity focused on the war and violence that people are experiencing in their homes, schools, and businesses. Whether its news about another shooting, the ever present concern of climate change, or the corruption of those in political office, it can leave anyone feeling upset, hopeless and despondent. Our youth are experiencing higher and higher levels of anxiety, due in part to the rise in social media and technology use. Cyber bullying makes it almost impossible for youth to escape from the taunting and cruelty of their victimizers. Suicide and substance abuse numbers have also seen a rise. Mental health illness is not going away and is becoming an every growing issue. Yet it is often dismissed or minimized.
This year the World Federation for Mental Health (WFMH) has teamed up with World Health Organization (WHO) and is placing an emphasis on suicide prevention with their “40 Seconds of Action” campaign. Every 40 seconds someone loses their life to suicide, so instead of sitting by the campaign is urging individuals to put in 40 seconds of action to bring awareness to the far reaching impacts of suicide. You can check for more information about ways you can contribute at the following link:
https://www.who.int/docs/default-source/mental-health/suicide/flyer-40seconds-web.pdf?sfvrsn=5ba643c_2
We intend to do our part, which includes bringing awareness to this issue by sharing these resources with you!
If you are in crisis now please call any of the crisis line numbers listed below or dial the local emergency telephone number (often 911) in your area.
You can also call the crisis lines and the distress lines if you are not in crisis. If you come across information on this page which is incorrect, please contact us so we can update it.
Ontario Association of Distress Centres Website has lists of Ontario distress centres
http://www.dcontario.org/centres.html
Ontario Suicide Prevention Network Website has lists of Ontario crisis centres.
http://www.ontariosuicidepreventionnetwork.ca
LGBTQ Youth Line 1-800-268-9688
Kids Help Phone – kidshelpphone.ca or phone 1-800-668-6860
Connex – 1-866-531-2600
