Mental illness. I remember a time when I didn’t know what this truly meant. My mother is a mental health nurse but even that didn’t give me background information on the topic as she now works primarily with people who have Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia. My thoughts on the matter were filled with stereotypes and I thought of the people as caricatures. Part of this may have been due to the fact that I was still so young. Other than those fleeting thoughts, I didn’t think of mental illness often. That is until I was unable to ignore it any longer. One of my childhood friends confided in me that she had an eating disorder. After the confusion began to fade, I immediately took to the internet to find out as much as I possibly could about the matter. Seeing someone I cared about struggling due to the lack of awareness and stigma still surrounding mental health made me want to take a stand. I was already writing a novel about teen girls in high school and some of the challenges they might face around that age, eating disorders being one of them but I was more informed and able to bring a new kind of passion to my work. Mental health awareness is a cause that is dear to my heart which is why I am so thankful for initiatives like Bell Let’s Talk Day that shed a light on it. I went from not understanding the issue and words related to it to wanting to learn more. Bell Let’s Talk day promotes this kind of action for everyone. I had the chance to experience my first Bell Let’s Talk day on campus and I was impressed by the conversation around it. We spoke about it in lectures and my residence hosted a Bell Let’s Talk day filled with activities to promote good mental health. Mental illness isn’t about one of us, but rather, it is about all of us.
Have you heard the one about the girl?
Who many said seemed to have the world
That is until that fateful day
When depression took her life away
Have you heard the one about the girl?
Maybe you’ve heard the one about your friend
Every night it seems you get closer to the end
Because she doesn’t know where to turn, she’s alone
Although your only prayer is that she come home
Have you heard the one about your friend?
But you must have heard the one about you
The one you hopelessly claimed was untrue
As the negativity tapped at the door
All those implicit messages you couldn’t ignore
It crept through your mind, there was no stopping
You handled it wrong, and soon everyone was talking
You must know the one about you
Because this issue may seem far away
I hope you never see the day
That it isn’t just about some girl
But one who means the world
One you love more than life itself
Yet you watch her lose the battle against mental health
You would have done anything to protect her
But it all happens in a blur
So before it is much too late
Let us join together to change her fate
Because she isn’t just some girl