The stigmas that are too often attached to mental illnesses can unfortunately prevent those who are having a hard time or are dealing with a mental illness from getting help because they are afraid to be labelled with a mental illness.
What do you know about Mental Illnesses? Take this short quiz to find out!
True or False:
- Most people with mental illnesses are dangerous.
- Poor and lower educated are more apt to be mentally ill.
- Mental Illness is a characteristic of personal weakness and lack of self control.
Answers:
all are false.
Those living with mental illness are much more likely to be victimized by acts of crime, hate and discrimination than to perpetrate them.
Anyone in any social class or education level can be affected.
Mental illness is not indicative of laziness or any lack of will. The mentally ill usually have very little control over the onset of their symptoms. (Whalen, D.: Canadian Mental Health Association, 2013)
Telecare Distress Centre of Peterborough is a completely anonymous and confidential hotline that is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
The volunteers at Telecare are uniquely trained in a number of different issues including mental health, suicide, grief, financial issues, relationship problems, sexuality and more.
No issue is too big or too small to call about.
Telecare is there no matter what your issue is. If you are lonely and are just looking for more resources in the community, Telecare can help with that too.
Telecare’s volunteers provide non-judgemental, active listening to empower their callers to overcome their worries and make their own decisions.
The group of volunteers is diverse, with men and women of all ages and from a variety of backgrounds.
To find out more information about Telecare Peterborough, please visit our website (http://www.telecarepeterborough.org/), email us (info@telecarepeterborough.org), check out our Facebook page, or call us: (705) 745-2273.
The next training session will begin April 9.