Into The Light: A Mentally Healthy Canada

"People are afraid," one survey respondent said.  "They don't understand (mental illness) and don't want to be educated.  They don't want to realize it is the same as diabetes or epilepsy.

Or left-handedness, for that matter.  But what is fear, if not a state of mind?

If you knew you had a massive, structural problem - a social cancer, if you will, growing worse and taking a greater toll on the economic, mental and physical well-being of the country, wouldn't you want to act on it?  If one common problem kept popping up in field after field, study after study, conversation after conversation, wouldn't you feel compelled to address it?

If someone opened a door - would you choose to walk out of the darkness?

Unsupported veterans with PTSD ending up in poverty or prison.

Individuals from structurally impoverished communities falling into further crime, or poverty.

Canadians living in the shadow of pervasive stigma becoming radicalized in their views and looking for places to belong - be it extremism of the political or religious variety.

Cognitive labour with all its positives (innovation, increased productivity, knowledge transfer communications efficiency and value-add) and negatives (presenteeism, bullying, harassment, suicide, depression, aggressive competition).

And the need to break down old walls and build on common ground if we're to move beyond these hurdles.

The picture is there; all we need to do is recognize the silos for what they are and start connecting dots.