Let's Talk

Let's have a little talk about mental health shall we?

Does that question terrify you, or does it make you feel safe to share. I want it to be the latter, it needs to be safe to talk about!

One of the things that drew my into the field of Occupational Therapy (OT) was how it encompassed the whole person when assessing and treating an individual.  Prior to getting into OT, I was focused on Physical Therapy because I wanted to help make people better physically, but as I worked in the field as an assistant I began to realize that among many clients we were treating many not only had physical health issues but there was a lot going on in the aspect of their mental health.  Then I realized that no matter how hard you worked on the physical, if they weren't mentally healthy the treatment was not complete. I'm not saying that every person who had a sprained ankle or torn shoulder, also had a mental disorder - but individuals with chronic pain, multiple traumas, or head injury potentially did.

So, I decided to pursue OT, as I felt it encompassed more of a holistic approach to care that I think is needed and that I would be good at.  Plus, you can strictly work in the area of Mental Health as an OT if that is what is where your interest lies. I still have one more year of school left after my mat leave and in the 2nd year a lot of focus is on OT and Mental Health.  From working with individuals living with depression, anxiety or an eating disorder to working with the homeless by doing outreach work - the possibilities are endless!

Why am I talking about this today? Because today in Canada is Bell's #LetsTalk Day, which is an initiative to bring attention to mental health, end the stigma, and raise money for community resources.

It's important to remember that our mental health is just as important as our physical health and people should feel alright to talk their mental health without the fear of ridicule or being told "deal with it" or "get over it".  These are real issues, that need real attention, and that really matter! I could write a longer post about mental health, the spectrum of mental illness, and how we all need need to focus on our mental well-being; but instead I'm going to leave you with that I think is a powerful video  about how feeling it's OK to talk about it can help:


And please tweet #BellLetsTalk, where 5 cents for every tweet will be donated to mental health initiatives!