Out of the shadows

NEW GLASGOW - Without mental health, you don't have health.
That was the message behind Saturday morning's Walk for Mental Wellness. About 30 participants came out in support of mental wellness and a better understanding of what it really is.
The event was a joint-venture between the Pictou County Health Authority and the Guysborough-Antigonish Strait Health Authority.
Charlene Thomas is senior director of mental health with the Pictou County Health Authority.
She said there have been walks for mental illness but never mental wellness and, as far as she knows, this is the first ever walk for mental wellness.
Maureen Jones, manager of community initiative with the department of mental health Pictou County, said the idea behind the walk is to reduce the stigma surrounding mental illness and better educate people. She said many people perceive mental illness as a sign of weakness.
"The reality is one in five people in Canada have a mental illness."
She said the walk is an opportunity for people who have a mental illness to come out and share their experiences and get information about programs available in their community.
Thomas said the goal is to get mental health out of the shadows.
"It helps to put a face on mental health issues."
Jones said having an event like a walk is a great way to get people talking.
"People see a group walking and they start asking, 'What's that about?'"
She said a lot of people don't know how to access mental health help.
"We're a lot more accessible than people think."
The mental health department, a division of Pictou County, provides care based on the needs of clients.
Their ages range from as young as two-years-old to clients in their 90s.
"We truly have patients across the spectrum."