Health and Social Services is promoting mental health awareness with Not Myself Today, a campaign created by the national organization, Partners for Mental Health.

“Mental health is an issue that touches all of us,” Health and Social Services Minister Doug Graham said. “One in five Canadians will suffer from mental health problems; that means it is very likely that someone we know or work with will struggle with mental health.”

The Not Myself Today campaign promotes mental health awareness in schools and workplaces by encouraging conversations about wellness and mental health issues.

Health and Social Services has distributed materials to Whitehorse schools and has promoted Not Myself Today within its own department. The main focus of the initiative is a day of action on April 30 when work units and school groups can get together to talk about mental health and what they can do to get involved.

“Not Myself Today is focused on getting people to talk about mental health,” Graham added. “Encouraging people to talk about how they really feel helps to bring these issues out into the open and remove the stigma around mental illness.”

The department is also encouraging Yukoners to go to the Not Myself Today website and take the pledge to support those suffering from mental health issues and to pay more attention to their own mental health.

For more information and resources on mental health visit the Not Myself Today website www.notmyselftoday.ca or the Partners for Mental Health website www.partnersformh.ca.

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