Getting help for mental health

Did you know that more than 1-in-5 Canadians will experience some form of mental illness during their lifetime? Be it schizophrenia, depression, bipolar disorder, or post-partum depression, this illness does not discriminate. The 20 per cent of our population who will be affected by mental illness can come from any and all economic backgrounds, cultures and age groups. Regardless of your gender, education or level of employment, there is no boundary or social barrier to mental illness.

There is however, help. Last year, the Sudbury Branch of the Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) provided service to 1,500 people and their families with mental illness. We offer an array of services and programs that deal with mental illness throughout the region. The CMHA offers aid and support by providing programs that specialize in addictions, emotional and mental disabilities, postpartum support groups, depression and mental health - just to name a few. These programs and services are effective and the CMHA maintains the highest levels of privacy and confidentiality when dealing with the client we see or serve. Our focus on self-directed recovery and community integration helps our clients in their own journey of healing, transformation and adjustment back into society. It is our commitment to clients to help remove the barriers that are preventing them from fully living, participating and thriving in the day-to-day activities of our local community.

As a non-profit organization we are supported by different levels of government, both provincially and municipally, and the United Way. We are also generously supported through local fundraising efforts in and around the Sudbury-Manitoulin region through bequeaths and private donations. Recently, our Art in Bloom fundraiser helped raise more than $20,000, and I would like to personally thank everyone who made it such a success - our giving public and our many sponsors and volunteers.

CMHA is a member of the Community Support Services Network of Sudbury. The Network is an organization comprised of 15 non-profit organizations whose goal is to provide quality service and support for citizens living in and around the Greater Sudbury Region.

Marion Quigley is the Chief Executive Officerof the CMHA, Sudbury Branch. For information regarding CMHA and its programs or services, visit www.cmha.sudbury.on.ca or phone 675 7252.