White January: Mental Health Month

The past year has shown us more than ever that mental health is a complicated subject. Circulation limitations, changes in work, economic crisis, fear of an unknown disease: there were many contextual pressures and mobilized feelings. This experience only served to explain emotions that have permeated our society for a long time.

In the office, a patient told me that he felt guilty about perceiving a sad and meaningless life when there were people in far worse situations than his (referring to socioeconomic difficulties and inequality), I agreed. There are people in very difficult situations, but I said that this information did not remove the complexity of his suffering. Many social conditions or clinical illnesses kill or generate suffering in the world, but that does not exempt us from the responsibility and the impact caused by mental suffering that also kills and harms - Perhaps so sneakily that this is why it is neglected. When we talk about the suffering of abusive, mental, physical, sexual relationships, severe eating disorders in which the person sickens his own body and puts his life at risk, depression and suicide, overexposure, we talk about frequent themes in the office that they also put people or groups at risk on a daily basis. As well, when we talk about mental health, we also refer to practices that help to improve the lives of individuals and collectives by reflecting on historically oppressed minorities and groups, each person's personal development journey and the construction of a new world. Thus, we may have more resources to address other issues as well, such as those mentioned by my patient in his argument. Perhaps helping you can be a way of delivering to the world a person who will be more sensitive to the suffering of others, and perhaps more committed to that better world.

Text written by Psychologist Mariane Radke (CRP 07/25125) supervisor of the CEFI communication team.