This document discusses challenging common myths and stigma around mental illness. It notes that mental illnesses can affect anyone regardless of intelligence, social class, or income. Further, it emphasizes that mental illnesses should be treated similarly to physical illnesses, as illnesses, not character flaws. The document encourages understanding mental illnesses and supporting those affected.

1. Stop
The
Ignorance
Given to
Mental
Afflictions
DRAWING A PICTURE OF MENTAL
ILLNESS
Created by Brenda Silveira
Presented by I M CONFIDENT
Niagara Canada

2. WHAT DOES YOUR PICTURE
OF MENTAL ILLNESS LOOK
LIKE?
ANGRY or DESTRUCTIVE
PEOPLE??

3. DANGEROUS……… or VIOLENT
PEOPLE??

4. PEOPLE WITH LOW
INTELLIGENCE or LOW INCOME?
$00000.00

5. PEOPLE WHO HAVE WEAK
CHARACTER?

6. PEOPLE WITH MENTAL
ILLNESS ARE ALL THE SAME
AND CAN’T BE HELPED?

7. WOW!! YOU HAVE ABSOLUTELY
NO IDEA OF WHAT MENTAL
ILLNESS IS. LET‟S TAKE A
LOOK AT THE REAL PICTURE!
FIRST LET‟S TAKE A LOOK ALL
THOSE MYTHS THAT YOU
BELIEVE ARE TRUE.

8. Myth - People with mental illness
are violent and dangerous.
WRONG!! As a group, they are no
more violent than any other group.
In fact, they are far more
likely to be the victims
of violence than to be
violent themselves.

9. Myth -People with mental illness
are poor and/or less intelligent.
WRONG!! Many studies show that
most have average or
above-average intelligence.
Mental illness, like physical illness,
can affect anyone,
regardless of intelligence,
social class or income level.

10. HAVE YOU HEARD ABOUT ANY OF THESE
POOR AND STUPID PEOPLE WHO HAVE
DEPRESSION OR BIPOLAR DISORDER?
JK Rowling (Harry Potter books)
William Styron – Pulitzer Prize winning novelist
Robert Munsch
President Lincoln
Senator Bob Antonioni
Olympic Gold Winners
Matthew Mitchem
Dorothy Hamill
Shawn Andrews (Eagles Guard)
Sigmund Freud
Beethoven
Angelina Jolie
Jim Carrey
Delta Burke
Jane Pauley (TV journalist)
Robert Downey Jr
Patty Duke
Isaac Newton (scientist, mathematician)
- Vincent Van Gogh (famous painter)
Mark Twain
- Robert Louis Stevenson
Virginia Woolfe
Napolean Bonaparte
Edgar Allan Poe

11. Myth - Mental illness is a single,
rare disorder.
WRONG AGAIN!! It is a broad
classification for many disorders
such as anxiety, depression,
schizophrenia, personality disorders,
eating disorders and organic brain
disorders. These can cause misery,
tears and missed opportunities for
thousands of Canadians.

12. Myth -Mental illness is caused
by a personal weakness.
WRONG!! A mental illness is not a
character flaw, it is an illness. It
has nothing to do with being weak or
lacking will-power.
NOBODY chooses to become ill, and
CANNOT just "snap out of it."

13. You have 2 good friends that go golfing with you.
One is in the hospital getting chemotherapy
and the other just had a breakdown and
was diagnosed with clinical depression.
You visit your friend in the hospital and on the
way home, stop to see your other friend.
LET‟S DO A QUICK QUIZ

14. You give comments to both friends.
Comment 1 – Stay positive and things will be just
fine.
Comment 2 –Stop feeling sorry for yourself. Get
up and get over it.
Which do you give to the friend with cancer and
which to the friend with depression. Why?
NOW FOR THE QUIZ

15. WAIT A MINUTE!!
STOP RIGHT THERE!!
I HAVE A
QUESTION.
Did you just tell someone to „get up and
get over it”? Get over what?
“WOW! Looks like this picture isn‟t
finished yet.
You still don‟t understand that illnesses
are illnesses.
Let‟s keep drawing.

16. You‟ve all heard the expression,
Sticks and stones……
But words will never hurt you.
WHAT?!?
Who would think such a stupid thing was
true?
Words CAN HURT!!!
crazy
psycho

17. It‟s time to look at some
of the real facts about
mental illness.
Society puts enormous
pressures on people, who are
getting so STRESSED it is
making them DEPRESSED or
even worse.

18. THE MEDIA…
often distorts the truth, using
mental illness to create
spectacular situations and
stories.

19. Take a look at 5 or your family
members and friends. At least 1 of
them will probably experience a
mental health disorder in their
lifetime or maybe it will be you!

20. Wouldn‟t it be nice if you understood
what the real facts were instead of
all the myths that are hanging
around.

21. Let‟s look at that horrible word
STIGMA – the little word that
causes big problems.
Stigma has:
•closed our minds
•caused disrespect
• caused discrimination
• discourages people from
getting the proper help

22. SO WHAT DOES STIGMA COST?
A LOT!!!
The government spends millions of dollars
annually in health care costs and the cost of
employee absences is enormous.
The cost is over $8 billion per year and when
you add substance abuse, which is often the
result or cause of mental illness, this grows to
$33 billion per year!!!
My question is simply, WHY??

23. Insurance companies pay out millions of
dollars each year for disability insurance
claims relating to mental illness.
Again, why?

24. Stigma is also responsible
for high unemployment
for those with mental
illnesses – up to 90%!!
This creates a huge need
for social assistance.
Is this really necessary?

25. This seems to be a vicious circle!
COLLECT
SOCIAL
ASSISTANCE
LESS MONEY
SPENT ON
CONSUMER
GOODS
LESS SALES
LOWER PROFITS
LESS WORK
WAGE CUTS
LAYOFFS
PEOPLE BECOME
STRESSED
AND
DEPRESSED
UNEMPLOYED
PEOPLE

26. Work is really important to anyone
recovering from mental illness - giving
purpose, a support system and income.
People who work have a better quality of
life and are less likely to require
hospitalization from a mental illness.

27. What? How? Why? STIGMA AGAIN!
Mental illness is badly misunderstood by many
employers and co-workers, so people try to hide
their disability and not get help.
Employers need to learn the facts and set
proper systems in place to lesson workplace
stress and resulting depression.
YET…… EMPLOYMENT
CAN ALSO CAUSE
PROBLEMS.

28. Did you know that working for an
inconsiderate, overbearing and uncaring boss
can actually kill you? When work causes you
to be upset and stressed out, the result can
be high blood pressure and heart attacks.
Wow, that‟s a sad picture.

29. EXCUSE ME?
THAT DOESN‟T MAKE SENSE.
Maybe not, but professionals also have
poor attitudes towards mental illness and
have shown complete disrespect towards
their own patients.
This stops many people from seeking help.
YIKES! I CAN UNDERSTAND WHY.
THEN THERE IS THE STIGMA
WITHIN THE MENTAL
HEALTH SYSTEM

30. BROKEN LEG?
Time to get to the hospital.

31. Time to get to the ????? WHERE?
It can be humiliating to go to the hospital
when there are no symptoms or signs of
distress.
Too often, people just try to ignore
things and they won‟t disappear –
just get worse.
PANIC ATTACK?
CONSIDERING SUICIDE?

32. People living with mental illness often feel
worse from how others treat them, then
they do from the illness itself.
This includes families, friends,
co-workers, professionals and even
strangers.
There is definitely something wrong with
this picture!

33. Each year in Canada there are
thousands of people hospitalized
and more than 4,000 deaths by
suicide in Canada.
Source: Niagara Suicide Prevention Coalition 2006

34. CANADIANS ARE
BEING DESTROYED
BY the lack of correct
information and the
support that is so
desperately needed.

35. We are basically
CUTTING OFF our own
heads.
In Canada, we have severed the head
from the body by separating physical and
psychological health.
This is not productive and can be very
harmful.

36. For years the lack of support for people
with mental illness has been felt by
individuals and their families. In 1935,
the best known self-help group AA was
started and slowly others began to
appear.

37. However, slowly is not acceptable.
WE ARE IN CRISIS!
THERE IS A TIME BOMB TICKING!
Mental CAN be treated effectively.
With the proper diagnosis by a medical
doctor, a treatment plan (meds and/or
therapy), ongoing support and regular
checkups, RECOVERY IS POSSIBLE.

38. So when is something
going to be done?
How many more……
• will be admitted to hospitals for mental
illnesses
• will be admitted to hospitals for mental
illnesses
• will commit suicide to stop their pain
Can we add your family to the
numbers being torn apart?

39. Self-help and support groups provide
emotional and practical help which comes
from those who have „lived‟ experience
and can honestly say, “I understand
because I have been there myself.”
This support CANNOT be duplicated in a
doctor‟s office.

40. Peer support groups help because they:
•have a warm, friendly, inviting
atmosphere
•are non-judgmental
•are non-threatening
• allow you to feel comfortable
•don‟t pressured you into saying anything
you don‟t want to

41. IN AUGUST 2007…………..
the Mental Health Commission of Canada was
created. $15 million per year has been
committed to provide funding for their work.
The commission has 3 strategic initiatives:
1.develop a national mental health strategy
2.conduct a 10-year anti-stigma campaign
3.build a national knowledge-exchange centre.

42. WE ARE NOW STARTING TO
BRING THE TRUTH TO THE
SURFACE!
Mental Health experts are telling us that if
employers would they broke the stigma of
mental illness as a character weakness, they
would save billions of dollars annually. WOW!

43. have found peer support a valuable tool in in
recovery. They say it saves them 1 life from
suicide almost every day.
Every 40 seconds someone in the world dies
by suicide, which has taken more lives each
year than armed conflict and vehicle
accidents.
THE CANADIAN FORCES……

45. Mental illness can be treated and many
can recover.
Looking at someone with a mental illness
should be no different than someone with
a physical illness.
ILLNESSES ARE ILLNESSES!
Anyone who is ill should be treated with
respect and dignity. Illness can come to
anyone and it could stop at your door.

46. It is the responsibility
of all individuals to find
out the proper
information about any
illness or disease and
not listen to false
rumours or spread
gossip that may
destroy families and
other relationships.

47. People with mental illness are people with
varying abilities, strengths and interests.

48. While they are ill, they need a lot of
support from their families, friends and
workplaces.

49. When they are back
in the swing of
things, they still
need support, but
they can also
support us when we
face challenges
in life.

50. REMEMBER, TOGETHER
WE CAN MAKE A
DIFFERENCE!
LET‟S ALL WORK TOGETHER AND DRAW
A PICTURE THAT DOESN‟T HAVE
STIGMA.
THE TIME IS NOW!!!

51. Highlights
• Mental illnesses indirectly affect all Canadians through illness in a family member, friend or
colleague.
• Twenty percent of Canadians will personally experience a mental illness during their
lifetime.
• Mental illnesses affect people of all ages, educational and income levels, and cultures.
• The onset of most mental illnesses occurs during adolescence and young adulthood.
• A complex interplay of genetic, biological, personality and environmental factors causes
mental illnesses.
• Mental illnesses can be treated effectively.
• Mental illnesses are costly to the individual, the family, the health care system and the
community.
• The economic cost of mental illnesses in Canada was estimated to be at least $7.331 billion
in 1993.
• Eight-six percent of hospitalizations for mental illness in Canada occur in general hospitals.
• In 1999, 3.8% of all admissions in general hospitals (1.5 million hospital days) were due to
anxiety disorders, bipolar disorders, schizophrenia, major depression, personality disorders,
eating disorders and suicidal behaviour.
• The stigma attached to mental illnesses presents a serious barrier not only to diagnosis and
treatment but also to acceptance in the community.
A REPORT ON MENTAL ILLNESS IN CANADA
www.publichealth.gc.ca

52. People who feel insecure or have low self-esteem can have a
lifetime of unhappiness and despair which can lead to depression
and close the doors to success.
I M CONFIDENT is a project that was created to help people
build confidence and increase self-esteem. This includes a
website with information, articles, visual presentations and
newsletters. Self-esteem workshops are also available to
organizations and groups in Niagara Canada.
More information can be found at www.imconfident.com
LOW SELF-ESTEEM CAN
BE THE RESULT OR
CAUSE OF DEPRESSION