CÉLINE GRIMARD

On Oct. 6, the University of Saskatchewan College of Pharmacy and Nutrition held its annual  Professional Enhancement Day, featuring keynote speaker and Canadian Olympic athlete Clara Hughes who spoke out about her personal experience with mental illness.

Professional Enhancement Day aims to enhance the knowledge and abilities of pharmacy students and practicing pharmacists in order to thrive in a continuously changing healthcare environment. Usually PED is restricted to pharmacy students; however, this year the college and the Saskatchewan Pharmacy and Nutrition Students’ Society partnered to open up the event to students from all colleges as well as the general public.

Darren Bogle, SPNSS member and co-leader of the project, hopes the event will help students feel comfortable bringing up mental health issues and believes the topic is important for students especially.

“Mental health is particularly prevalent in a university setting; students are put through a lot of stress, exam anxiety and midterm anxiety,” Bogle said.

According to Bogle, having a reputable speaker like Clara Hughes address students not only educates and increases awareness, but it can also help to stimulate strategies on how the U of S campus community can aid in ending the stigma surrounding mental health.

Hughes is a spokesperson for Bell Canada’s Let’s Talk campaign, which launched in September 2010 as a five-year, $50 million program that aims to help create a stigma-free Canada by promoting initiatives in mental health care, research and the workplace.

During her presentation, Hughes revealed many points of interest surrounding her personal experience with depression, including the fact that she comes from a family with a history of mental illness.   

A six-time Olympic medalist in both the summer and winter games, Hughes is no stranger to the spotlight, yet she often felt the burden of her illness regardless of her success.

“In the end, it fed the worthlessness that I still had inside of me. Any moment, or sense of inhalation, or pride that I felt momentarily after my races, was gone,” Hughes said.

For Hughes, one of the most difficult parts of suffering from mental illness was the fear of talking to anyone about what she was feeling, especially since there were no physical ailments.

“I thought it would mean most likely the end of my life as I knew it, and that there would be no coming back,” she said.

It took numerous years battling against herself before she got help. Hughes now believes that people cannot beat mental health alone; it is imperative that they seek the help of others.

For students, Hughes acknowledges the added stress of school work, exams and jobs, on top of anything else that may come up in day-to-day life. She encourages an increased awareness surrounding illnesses that may develop or increase in intensity when triggered by these stresses, such as anxiety, obsessive-compulsive disorder and depression, among others.

“There are so many ways to educate yourself. The Canadian Mental Health Association always has good information on what is available locally,” Hughes said. “The more educated you are, the better chance you have to maybe help someone around you that you see struggling.”

Hughes urges students who are suffering in any way to seek help and be aware that there are many options available.

“Don’t internalize. Don’t think it’s going to go away. Don’t think if you drop classes it’s going to make it suddenly better. If you’re feeling something and it’s real, you need help. Talk to someone.”

Hughes also took a moment to impart advice surrounding conversations about suicide.

“If you feel like someone may be having suicidal thoughts, it’s okay to talk to them about it. If you mention that word, it doesn’t mean they’re going to have a greater chance of completing suicide; it’s not, it makes it real and opens up the conversation and that’s a good thing,” Hughes said.

Hughes encourages students to become more aware and available to these notions, because everyone is capable of making a positive difference.

“Realize that your actions count. Realize that listening is important. Realize this affects everyone. Everyone is connected to these illnesses, and so you might as well be ahead of the game and educate yourself and empower yourself and empower people around you with hope.”

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Photo: Supplied / Josh Schaefer Photography