Speaker’s Bureau
The survivor’s perspective
It’s very difficult for us who live with mental illness to talk about it. Mental illness tends to undermine our sense of self, relationships, well-being and prospects for recovery. Moreover, it carries a stigma that leads to discrimination. We’re afraid we’ll lose friendships and become isolated.
As a mental health advocate, I speak up about what it’s like to live with mental illness. This helps to increase awareness and minimize the stigma that surrounds it.
Recently, I spoke to classes of students studying social work at George Brown College. These students were planning to go into the mental health field. They asked very perceptive and engaging questions about my experience with bipolar and seasonal affective disorders. As my professor, Keith Nickson, said later, “There’s nothing I can teach that can match the power of ‘the consumer’s voice’…”
You can also listen to Richard J. Dalton of Beautiful Minds interviewing me about my personal story and challenges with bipolar disorder.
Part 1
Part 2
On May 7, 2012, the federal government announced its first-ever national mental-health strategy. If fully implemented, this initiative will cost governments more than $4 billion over ten years.
That same day, Jennifer Tryon of Global National interviewed me about me my experience with mental health issues. You can watch the interview on the following link:
Contact me to talk to your audience about the following:
- the symptoms I noticed when mental illness first developed;
- what it feels like to live with mental illness; and
- the unique tools I have assembled to live to the fullest.
