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CMHA HAWKESBURY RAISES MENTAL HEALTH AWARENESS
CHRISTOPHER SMITH christopher.smith@eap.on.ca
A large crowd of mental health pro- fessionals and supportive residents gathered to celebrate Mental Health Awareness Week. The Canadian Mental Health Associa- tion (CHMA) opened its annual Mental )FBMUI"XBSFOFTT8FFLPO0DUPCFS B province-wide initiative to promote physical activity and raise awareness for mental health. Supporters gathered at the Robert Hartley Sports Complex in Hawkesbury to view various presentations from partner organizations and hear the guest speakers. Geneviève Desrochers spoke on what the CMHA hopes to achieve with the program, which was established by the Canadian Psy- chiatric Association (CPA) and coordinated by the Canadian Alliance on Mental Illness and Mental Health (CAMIMH). i.FOUBM*MMOFTT"XBSFOFTT8FFLJTBO annual national public education campaign designed to help open the eyes of Canadians to the reality of mental illness. The goal of this awareness week is to educate, raise awareness, and connect people with commu- nity services,” said Desrochers. “Seventy per cent of mental health problems have their onset during childhood or adolescence, but QFSDFOUPGDIJMESFOBOEZPVUIXJUINFOUBM health disorders don’t access to specialized treatment services. In any given year, one in five Canadians experiences mental illness, and mood and anxiety disorders are among
La foule s’est rassemblée à l’extérieur pour préparer la marche pour la santé mentale —photo Christopher Smith
the most common types of disorders in Canada.” Following her speech, Desrochers invited Kandy-Lyn Bartsch to display the painting of her experiences with schizophrenia. “I experienced early onset schizophrenia when I was about five or six years old, but I did not know this, and neither did my family. As years went on my illness progressed, and I ended up self-harming because I believed whatever these voices were telling me inside my head were going to come true, and my family would be harmed,” Bartsch said. “They weren’t pleasant things that were being said
or done, but I was diagnosed when I was 17, and it turned out that the voices were full of B.S. It took years to understand that the voices in my head couldn’t harm my family, to overcome the fear of what would happen if I didn’t follow through with what they were telling me to do.” “From the time I was 17 to about 28 or 29, those years were a living hell because the voices and paranoia got really bad, but by the time I reached 30, my psychiatrist noticed I was improving. I refused to stop taking my medications, because I didn’t want UPHPCBDLUPUIBUIFMM8IFO*XBT *XBT told my schizophrenia was in remission, and I will remain there as long as I keep taking my medications. I insisted I was going to be okay, and I remain okay at 41.” u0OFUIJOH*DBOUVSOBSPVOEBOETBZJT that, my life was hell at the beginning, but it’s been heaven ever since.” Bartsch explained that her painting is for herself and all mental health sufferers everywhere. The cage around the brain represents that people feel trapped and can’t escape what’s happening mentally.
The zig-zag line represents how some people feel torn apart, and the steam coming out the ears represents the anger issues that mental illness causes. The person inside the cage shows those who are still trying to escape, and the open door shows that they can. Finally, Danielle Renaud spoke on her experiences with depression and anxiety since she was a child in school. She faced depression, loneliness, and a total lack of trust that culminated in suicidal thoughts. “I hated everyone, and it seemed that eve- ryone hated me. I hated myself most of all,” Renaud said. “It was a mistake. My life has changed since then, and I have learned how to deal with my emotions.” After the speakers finished, the gathered crowd proceeded outside to begin the march. The crowd walked through the streets of Hawkesbury, promoting mental health awa- reness and the positive effects of outdoor exercise. Afterwards, they returned to the Robert Hartley Complex to continue perusing the booths.
ÉDITION ANDRÉ PAQUETTE INC.
ARRESTATION D’UN HOMME EN POSSESSION D’UN PISTOLET ANCIEN
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La Police provinciale de Hawkesbury a arrêté un homme qui se promenait peut-être avec une arme à feu dans le centre-ville. Le détachement de la Police provinciale a reçu un appel après 10 h, jeudi, au sujet d’un homme qui aurait été vu en train de porter quelque chose qui ressemblait à une arme à feu. L’homme marchait le long de la rue Main. La police s’est rendue sur les lieux, a trouvé et arrêté un homme de 29 ans de Hawkesbury. Il avait en sa possession ce que la police pense être une arme à feu ancienne. Pendant l’incident, la police a conseillé à l’administration de toutes les écoles de la région immédiate de mettre en place des protocoles de maintien et de sécurisation de leurs installations. Les élèves ont été gardés à l’intérieur des bâtiments scolaires jusqu’à nouvel ordre.
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Après avoir placé l’homme en garde à vue, la police a informé l’administration de l’école de l’annulation de l’ordre d’immobilisation et de sécurisation, permettant ainsi aux élèves et au personnel de sortir à nouveau à l’extérieur. Aucun autre détail n’est disponible pour l’instant, y compris sur les charges retenues à la suite de l’incident. Hawkesbury OPP arrested a local man found walking in the downtown area carrying what appeared to be an antique gun. —file photo
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