On April 24, 1908 at a conference Swiss psychiatrist Egen Bleuler first coined the term schizophrenia to describe a mental disorder characterized by abnormal social behavior and failure to recognize what is real.

Now affecting one per cent of Canadians, it is the theme of this year’s World Mental Health Day on October 10th.

“In an effort to raise awareness and education and reduce mental health stigma, World Mental Health Day this year is focussing on living with schizophrenia,” says Dr. Stacy Sprague, a registered psychologist and executive director of the Employee & Family Assistance Program (EFAP). “The word schizophrenia comes from the Greek roots schizo, split, and phrene, mind, to describe the fragmented thinking of people with the disorder.”

Dr. Stacy Sprague

“World Mental Health Day is a day to encourage conversation not only about living with schizophrenia – but living with any mental illness,” she adds. “It’s about bringing these often not talked about illnesses out into the open and getting help.”

Anne Harvey, vice president of employee engagement at VCH, says struggling with mental illness is nothing to be embarrassed about.

“Increasingly, we are seeing mental health issues drive long-term disability in employees,” she says. “While we recognize that mental ill health is increasing world-wide and is driven by many social conditions of our modern world, we want to make sure that VCH workplaces have a respectful climate and ensure that we are not contributing to mental ill health in our staff.

Dr. Sprague says that the day is a reminder to take care of your mental health and that there are resources at VCH to help you.

“The sooner they are addressed the sooner you can be treated,” she says. “When someone tries to tough it or ignore it and not seek out treatment, it gives the mental health condition’s symptoms  a chance  to potentially grow. Addressing it now allows one to get treatment sooner and that in turn brings the ability to control it, which brings a happier mental state to the person struggling with it sooner.”

Get help

At no cost, staff can call the 24-hour line at 1-800-505-4929 speak to a senior level clinician and get confidential consultation and treatment. Outside of VCH, you can also contact the provincial Mental Health and Information Line at 310-6789 or the Crisis Centre at 604-872-3311 or 1-866-661-3311. You can also contact  the Mood Disorders Association of BC, which offers a range of services, at www.mdabc.net or your family doctor.

Dr. Sprague says the most important thing to do when struggling with a mental illness is to talk about it with somebody.

“Reach out… call someone, talk to someone, email someone, text someone – just reach out,” she says. “You don’t have to manage this alone.”