Without understanding the impact of our words and actions, family, friends and educators can either help or hinder a person in psychological distress.
A group of educators and mental health experts under the auspices of the Julia and Henry Koschitzky Centre for Jewish Education have convened a symposium on mental health, with a focus on Jewish organizations that are dealing with children, youth and young adults.
Mental Health Empowerment Day (Empowerment Day) will take place on Sept. 17 at the Lipa Green Centre in Toronto. Empowerment Day is designed to shed light on mental health issues and enable community organizations to proactively address this pervasive problem.
‘it is estimated that 10 to 20 per cent of Canadian youth are affected by a mental illness or disorder’
The idea was sparked by educator Leanne Matlow.
“I taught in the Jewish day school system for many years and then served as both a special education teacher and guidance counsellor. I left all that behind when I saw that emotional health trumped all learning issues, or showed up concurrently with them. When my career path transitioned to a CBT (cognitive behavioural therapy) counsellor, I was able to see how mental health issues, including anxiety, manifest themselves in the school setting and other places that children work and play,” said Matlow, chair of the Empowerment Day organizing committee.
According to the Canadian Mental Health Association, it is estimated that 10 to 20 per cent of Canadian youth are affected by a mental illness or disorder – the single most disabling group of disorders worldwide.
The statistics are staggering. In a classroom of 25 students, an average of five will be suffering from a mental health issue. In a camp cabin of 10 campers, an average of two will be suffering.
The CJN spoke to a few of the people who will be speaking at the event.
“We’re seeing an increased recognition of major depression and various anxiety disorders in adolescence. These two conditions are very common and can have a devastating impact on psychosocial functioning and self-esteem, if they are not treated effectively at an early stage,” said Dr. Ari Zaretsky, psychiatrist-in-chief and vice-president of education at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre in Toronto.
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Mental health literacy is considered to be critical in preventing mental illness, as it increases awareness and recognition, decreases the stigma associated with it and encourage people to seek help.
Dr. Mark Sinyor, who works as a psychiatrist at Sunnybrook, has implemented a mental health literacy curriculum by using the third book of the Harry Potter series, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, as a tool for teaching cognitive behavioural therapy skills.
“You can conceptualize the third book as Harry Potter becomes depressed and not knowing what to do and being set up with a de facto cognitive behavioural therapist and then learning skills to overcome his depression.
“If you are a 13-year-old just like Harry and you start to get sad or anxious, what are the kinds of things you might be able to do to help yourself, just like Harry does?” said Sinyor.
Ryan Golt has overcome mental illness in the past. The 23-year-old has become the face of mental health in the Jewish Montreal community. Golt implemented a program called Stronger than Stigma at McGill University, to raise awareness and fight the stigmatization that often accompanies mental illness.
“The best thing you can offer someone who is suffering with mental health is a safe space: a place where they can feel comfortable with who they are and have somebody to talk to who understands what they are going through. It starts with education within the schools –teaching students to be compassionate and teaching them skills,” said Golt.
To register, visit jewishtoronto.com