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October 6 – 12 is Mental Illness Awareness Week

Oct 6, 2024

October 6 – 12 is Mental Illness Awareness Week, a national public education campaign aimed at enhancing awareness of mental illness and substance use health, reducing related stigmas, and illuminating the real experiences of those affected. 

In order to reduce the stigma, it is important to be aware of the myths that still prevail today.  Here are some common myths about mental illness and facts that will equip you to dispel them.

Five common myths about mental illnesses.

Myth #1: Mental illnesses are not real illnesses.

Fact: Mental illnesses are not just regular ups and downs in life. They create distress, do not go away on their own and are real health problems that can be effectively treated. Just as you wouldn’t blame someone with diabetes, you can’t blame someone who needs professional help and support while they experience a mental illness.

Myth #2: Mental illnesses will never affect me.

Fact: We will all be affected by mental illness. Research estimates that at least one in five Canadians will experience a mental illness in their lifetime. You may not be living with a mental illness yourself, but it is very likely that a family member, acquaintance or colleague will be.

Myth #3: People don’t recover from mental illnesses.

Fact: Today, there are many different types of treatments, services and supports that can help people recover from mental illnesses. In fact, people living with mental illnesses can and do lead productive and engaged lives. If their mental illness lasts a long time, it is possible for them to learn to manage their symptoms in order to achieve their goals. If a person continues to experience many difficulties, it may be a sign that he or she needs help or a different approach.

Myth #4: People who experience mental illnesses are weak and can’t handle stress.

Fact: Stress impacts well-being, but this is true for everyone. People living with mental illnesses may actually be better at managing stress than people who haven’t experienced mental illnesses. Many of them learn skills like stress management and problem-solving so they can take care of stress before it affects their well-being. Taking care of yourself and asking for help when you need it are signs of strength, not weakness.

Myth #5: People who experience mental illnesses can’t work.

Fact: Mental illness does not make people unable to work. While some people benefit from modifications at work to achieve their goals, many work with little support from their employers. In fact, workplaces include many people living with mental illnesses.

Finally, let’s remember that these and many other myths exclude people living with mental illnesses from our community and create barriers to their well-being. If we want to reduce the incidence of mental illnesses around us, it is important to know the facts and to start by reviewing our own beliefs and behaviours.

Resources to Support your Learning Journey

For Workplaces: Build greater awareness about mental health, reduce stigma, and create psychologically healthy and safe work cultures. Our training modules can help your team tackle issues like burnout and stress and learn how to support employees experiencing mental health challenges. Discover our training modules and book one today!

For Community Groups: Increase your understanding of mental illness, its impact and how to better support a person living with a mental illness. Changing Minds is a comprehensive, easy-to-understand, interactive workshop that uses evidence-based approaches to teach better communication skills to help understand and respect those who have a mental illness. Changing Minds is built on first-person perspectives of those with lived experience of mental illness and been delivered to hundreds of people across Canada. Learn more about Changing Minds and book a training.

For Individuals:

What to help end the stigma? Support our free mental health education programs with a donation.

Donate Today
Sources: Myths About Mental Illness – CMHA National, Mental Illness Awareness Week | CAMIMH

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