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Wednesday January 28th was Bell’s Let’s Talk Day, a day of dialogue aimed at breaking down the barriers associated with Mental Illness.  

According to Candace Giesbrecht, with the Canadian Mental Health Association’s Kelowna Branch, one in five Canadians will experience a mental illness serious enough to require treatment, and less than half of those will seek out the help they need, due to stigma.
Candace says, “If we do the math and look at the population in Kelowna, that is 36,000 people this year in our community that will experience a mental illness serious enough to require treatment.”

Perhaps the most damaging issue we all face when it comes to Mental Health is the stigma.  Giesbrecht comments, “who of us wants to be whispered about, who of us wants to be the talk of the family or worse the secret of the family? It is an invisible illness for the most part, and a lot of people are walking around and dying inside because they are not getting the help they need.”

At Mission Creek Alliance Church we stand together for mental health, opening the door to conversation and healing.  If you’re hurting, may you not hurt in silence.  We’re hear to listen, to embrace, to mourn, and to walk together toward healing and wholeness in Jesus name.    

Check out www.kelowna.cmha.bc.ca for a list of resources.