World Mental Health Day was this week but as we all know, this topic should be discussed on a daily basis. To continue on with the journey of making that happen, we're finally moving on to the next installment in this series. For this third perspective we were lucky enough to have a psychiatric/addiction nurse shed some light through their experiences.

Before we get to it, if you need a refresher on what this series is all about, take a look at this post here.

Q: Do you know anyone with a mental health condition? If yes, who?
A: Yes, plenty.

Q: What were your preconceived notions about disorders such as bipolar 1 & 2 or schizophrenia?
A: None. Have always felt for these individuals, it’s clear they suffer on a daily basis.

Q: Has that changed over time, and why?
A: I chose to be a psychiatric/addiction nurse to be able to serve the “forgotten” group.

Q: Do you think depression and anxiety are less taboo topics now?
A: Yes

Q: How about schizophrenia and bipolar, in comparison?
A: No. Not many individuals educate themselves on these diseases. They don’t understand that so many living with these diagnoses are high-functioning individuals with a disease that can be helped with medication (and other therapies) just like any other medical condition.

Q: Anything else you'd like to add?
A: I personally like to believe that the stigma is getting better. As a society we are forced in dealing with it AFTER tragedies arise. It saddens me that it takes a death by suicide of someone in the spot light to shed awareness on this, but with that - education becomes a vital aspect of this light. Staying in the dark and being completely ignorant about mental/psychiatric illnesses is that of the past, time to really wake up, understand, and help those in need.
If you'd like to take part in this series, anonymously or openly, please take a look at the survey here or feel free to reach out to me directly via my contact form.