stig·ma/ˈstigmə/A mark of disgrace associated with a particular circumstance, quality or person.
A stigma is a horrible thing to be marked with. It can have more devastating effects on a person than their actual problems. This is the case with MENTAL ILLNESS, which describes a wide range of conditions related to emotions, thoughts and behaviors.
Dealing with a mental illness is most certainly difficult, but dealing with the stigma is an additional and unnecessary burden. One of the bet ways to get help for a mental illness is to talk about it - but we are AFRAID. Afraid of admitting to ourselves that there is actually a problem. A stigma is placed on those living with mental illness by the society we live in and this is largely due to the fact that people just don’t understand. For this reason, most people are unwilling to talk to others and the cycle of stigma continues. Upon realization of this reality, I set out to do something about it.
So far, I have spoken at assemblies at my school, placed posters in the halls and have sent a letter similar to this one to the student body. Unfortunately, this is not enough to fix the problem on its own. For this reason, I am hosting a FUNDRAISER with two main goals:
- Raise awareness of mental health generally and the stigma that surrounds mental illness.
- Raise money to donate to the Centre of Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH), the only dedicated mental hospital in Ontario.
The money raised with assist CAMH in continuing their work in both treatment and research. Raising awareness will help break the stigma. If we reach our goal of $2000, I have pledged to shave off my hair, which is a big deal with hair like mine! This event will happen on Friday April 27th at my school, MacLachlan College in Oakville.
I will not be successful without your help. Together, we can make this campaign a huge success! BREAK DOWN THE WALLS of the stigma, ASK FOR HELP when you need it, DON’T BE AFRAID to help those suffering and DONATE to make this all happen.
Everybody needs a little help sometimes. Everybody deserves to live a happy and healthy life.
Thank you for your consideration,
Owen Hanmer
Alone
The voices whisper,
A steady drone
I’m surrounded by people,
But I stand alone
Please, someone,
Why don’t you help me?
I’m a person in distress,
Is that so hard to see?
Please, someone,
I could use some assistance
But all anyone does
Is increase their distance
I’m in a world of darkness
All hope has been lost
I’ve reached out for help
But at the greatest cost
Now no one will accept me
For who I truly am
What about my feelings?
You don’t give a damn
We all have our problems
But this just isn’t fair
You make a big deal of mine,
But with others’ you don’t care
So now the crowd grows round
Like hungry beasts
But instead of my body
It’s on my emotions which they feast
The Aftermath
If you would still like to make a donation, please make your donation to CAMH now by using the form below. Your gift will help CAMH continue to provide excellent patient care, pioneer mental health research and advance public education so that more people get help when they need it.