Mental Health in Manitoba

February 1, 2012

Mary Houston, employee, Soma Cafe

It’s probably about the same as anywhere else, because I believe that mental health is a physical illness like other illnesses that happen to people based on underlying conditions. It’s not entirely situational.
John Mcleod, bike lab volunteer

We like to think we rise and fall with the seasons but really we’re just bitchy all year round.
Shayani Fernando, third-year student, rhetoric and communications

I took a course a few years back and it was a social work course and our instructor told us that the biggest disability in Canada is hidden pain. There’s stigma. Lots of it.
Alain Beaudry, business consultant

As far as I can tell, we seem to be making positive progress.
Andrew Podolecki, second-year student, politics

When it comes to things like depression and anxiety, I would say that there are adequate resources. However, when it comes to major mental illnesses, the resources are not adequate. They have improved in recent years, but there is still a long way to go.
Laura Sexsmith, fourth-year student, biology

I definitely think that mental health is very stigmatized, unjustifiably so. Just because it is a disease you can’t see, it doesn’t mean that it is less important than an illness you can see. We need to raise awareness to help address depression and other mental illnesses.