Albertan's Stories

Dheny is an articulate 25 year-old Mount Royal University graduate with an endearing, self-deprecating sense of humour. You would never guess she’s been struggling with anxiety and depression since she was a child. At 12, Dheny was diagnosed with depression. “I didn’t know what that meant. Mental illness was not something we talked about in […]Continue readingDheny’s Story

Alzheimer’s always cast a long shadow in my mother’s life because her mother and grandmother had both suffered from it and, ultimately, so did she,” says Jennifer. Jennifer’s mother was diagnosed at age 70 and she passed away three years later. Her mother had been a fun-loving woman who lived large, even though she wasn’t […]Continue readingJennifer’s Story

Gord was nine years old when his father died by suicide. Gord was a shy child, and after his father died, he retreated even more. He put on a brave face and took on more family responsibilities, but family members worried. He had lost both his father and grandfather to suicide. Soon after his fathers […]Continue readingGord’s Story

Austin’s path was set for academia in his late twenties. He was writing, publishing and exploring the world. His experiences ranged from a junior field member on a NASA mission to the Antarctic to a research trip to Moscow with the Soviet Space Program.  His expeditions also featured a few ordeals and the tolls of […]Continue readingAustin’s Story

Salima is a registered social worker and psychologist. She works as a family counselor with adolescents admitted to adult mental health units. “Many of the teens who come through our doors have attempted suicide, thought about suicide, engaged in self-harming behaviours, are struggling with addictions, or they are struggling with a mental illness,” she says. […]Continue readingSalima’s Story

“I think of my mental health like an ocean. I envision the levels of the sea to navigate where I’m at. When I’m in my darkest hour, I’m sucked under the ocean floor. And at my best, I’m sitting on the surface with a margarita in hand.” Jay, a firefighter in Edmonton, describes. Over two […]Continue readingJays Story

June 27th marks Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) Awareness Day. Canada has the highest rate of PTSD according to a World Health Organization study, affecting 9.2% of Canadians in their lifetime. Onset can happen shortly after a traumatic event or it can begin years after the fact, often unrecognized. By increasing awareness and becoming more […]Continue readingMaster Corporal Lorraine Marler