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What Is Stigma

Individuals who experience mental illness often face stigma in their daily lives. Stigma marks someone as different from others, unacceptable even. Enter here to find out more about the impact of stigma, common myths and misconceptions and what you can do to help.

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How Can I Get Help?

Experiencing stigma? Want tips on how to talk about mental illness with others? We know that the best way to deal with stigma is to educate yourself and those around you. Enter here for information on common mental illnesses, stigma at work and school and where you can get help. 

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Prevent Suicide!

In Niagara alone, 1 person loses all hope every 9 days — that’s 40 people taking their own life every year.  These are shocking numbers. Suicide is no longer a subject that can remain taboo. Together we can PREVENT suicide.

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Latest Updates

Overcoming mental illness means overcoming stigma

Posted: Jun 12 2013
Glenn Close and Heather Stuart

Does this situation sound familiar?

A colleague undergoes cancer surgery, and she receives unprecedented support from her family and friends, complete with flowers, cards and visitors. When she was subsequently treated for depression, everything went coldly silent – not a card, not a flower, not a visitor. When she returned to work, her workmates made it so difficult for her that she eventually quit.

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Latest Cards

These anonymously submitted postcards share stories of how how mental illness, and the stigma associated with it, has affected individuals throughout the Niagara region. Whether you are the mother, brother, aunt or husband of someone with a mental illness, or someone who has been personally affected, you all have a story. This is your voice.
postcard depicting don't be afraid to come out of the box
postcard depicting world is upside down
anti-stigma postcard
anti-stigma postcard depicting I will beat mental illness
anti-stigma postcard depicting it's amazing what a smile can hide
anti-stigma postcard depicting we need to learn not to be ashamed
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Latest Stories

One in five people will experience a mental illness in their lifetime. The other four will know someone- a family member, friend, or co-worker who has been affected.

We all have stories to tell. Below are stories from people who have been impacted by by the stigma of mental illness. If you would like to tell your own story, share it with us.

Maddy

Posted: Jun 10 2013

Hello. I’m fifteen and I’ve been through a lot. A lot more than a typical fifteen year old girl goes through. In October of 2011 my life completely changed. I became very, very, very depressed. I always felt self-conscious, I was always bigger then my friends, I was struggling to handle it. Then a boy I really liked, called me fat, and that day is when it all went downhill. I used to have a 90 percent average, I played travel soccer, I went out every single weekend.

Brittany

Posted: Apr 16 2013

It was September 2009. I had recently turned 18 years old, and was in my first year at Brock University. I was away from home essentially for the first time in my life. The first few weeks at Brock and living in Residence were amazing! I was in my element—I was meeting so many different people and making new friends. I loved my program, my Professors and all my classes. But most importantly, I was excited about my future!

Neal

Posted: Apr 11 2013

Picture in your mind, if you will, you’re travelling down the highway when all of a sudden, without warning, a fear of dread suddenly wells up inside of you and tears come to your eyes. You have to pull off to the side of the road.           

Slowly you get enough of your equilibrium back that you can continue on to the next rest stop where you pull into a far corner and cry uncontrollably for half an hour. That experience, for me, was the final straw in a series of events that was thought to be “stress”.

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