Change is never easy, conceded Louise Bradley, C.M., outgoing president and CEO of the Mental Health Commission of Canada (MHCC).
“But that doesn’t mean it isn’t necessary,” she said from her home office in Newfoundland, where she’s been working throughout the pandemic.
“I spent a lot of time reflecting as I went on early morning hikes. Moving on from the MHCC wasn’t a decision that was taken lightly . . . but once it was made, it did feel like a weight had lifted.”
Stephanie Knaak has been studying structural stigma for the better part of a decade. She’s an expert in the foundational policies, laws, and practices in our health-care system that put people who live with mental illness at a disadvantage.
For Pauline Meunier, a paramedic of 26 years, it took a trip to the allergist to give her anxiety a name.
“What I thought were allergic reactions turned out to be panic attacks,” she said. “Before I was asked about anxiety, it never occurred to me that my mental health could be the problem.”
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