From a Montreal Gazette article published earlier this month: “Quebec’s suicide rate is lowest in 25 years”. Not near enough mind you. The latest numbers (2006) point to a reduction from 1300 to 1136 according to l’Institut national de santé publique du Québec (INSPQ). IMS Health data shows Quebec has the highest utilization rate of anti-depressants and anti-psychotic medications.

They attribute this recent reduction to “more detection of cases of mental illness and better organization of treatment”, which leads us back to the importance of advocacy efforts such as Matt’s to raise awareness and “normalize” mental illness.

We Quebecers are a crazy bunch overall… and those terribly long, hard winters….

[quote comment="66492"][quote comment="66403"][quote comment="66399"][quote comment="66361"]500 people commit suicide in BC every year? Is hat abnormally high compared to the other provinces?[/quote]

not really no…the Alberta statistic was 450 last year. Unfucking real, eh?[/quote]

Interesting and sad statistic. Where I previously stated in my entry that Albertans consume the least amount of anti-depressants in Canada, this may represent a real problem when considered alongside the high suicide rate in Alberta. Meaning that there are likely many Albertans suffering from severe depression who are not being diagnosed and treated effectively.[/quote]

I really wish EDIT WORKED: I forgot to mention one last thing. Quebec’s suicide is the third highest in the WORLD.[/quote]

not really no…the Alberta statistic was 450 last year. Unfucking real, eh?[/quote]

Interesting and sad statistic. Where I previously stated in my entry that Albertans consume the least amount of anti-depressants in Canada, this may represent a real problem when considered alongside the high suicide rate in Alberta. Meaning that there are likely many Albertans suffering from severe depression who are not being diagnosed and treated effectively.[/quote]

I really wish EDIT WORKED: I forgot to mention one last thing. Quebec’s suicide is the third highest in the WORLD.

not really no…the Alberta statistic was 450 last year. Unfucking real, eh?[/quote]

Interesting and sad statistic. Where I previously stated in my entry that Albertans consume the least amount of anti-depressants in Canada, this may represent a real problem when considered alongside the high suicide rate in Alberta. Meaning that there are likely many Albertans suffering from severe depression who are not being diagnosed and treated effectively.[/quote]

Guys? it’s 1200 a year in Quebec!! 1200… that’s triple the national average.

This may be a weir question but….

Has anyone that you have parted ways with in the past (for whatever reason) approached or contacted you after hearing that you were (finally) diagnosed with a legitimate mental illness? I guess what I’m asking is if the diagnoses has ever “helped” or “mended” any broken friendships or relations.[/quote]

Quebec has the highest suicide rate in North America (I’ve worked for Suicide Action Montreal) It is currently at 1200 a year and that has been a decrease from other years.

I have never been officially declared as having a mental illness, but my mind twists and deforms my often then it should. A mental unstableness started to form at a younger age. At this time, I did not have a life outside of the computer and internet. I spent all day, every day just staring at a computer screen, and talking to friends whom I only knew online. I was very quiet, almost mute, in real life social situations, as well as reclusive. I was actually quite the jerk to people who tried to be friendly, and grew a major inferiority complex.

When I say that I felt like I had no friends, other than online, that just makes it sound like I was a nerd. I had isolated myself from everyone, and everything. I lost all of the friends that I did know, for shallow reasons such as how inflated my head had gotten. Even the only friends I felt that I had were mistreated with harsh sarcasm and insults.
I had lost one of my greatest friends for a short while, because I was a flat-out insincere dick to them, with no consideration for their feelings. The only feelings that I had were for somebody I could never have, which became a problematic obsession. I felt like this unrequited desire was my first real love, and I clung on to him because I was so isolated from the rest of the world.
I created a fantasy world in my mind as a form of escapism from loneliness. I created an imaginary friend. Living in my mind so much, and barely speaking a word, had lead to my mind going much too far ahead itself.
I still believe that I am eternally grateful for my online friends to get me through this. They made me laugh, and feel like there was a reason to wake up every morning. They even drew pictures for me of my unrequited love, and accepted it.

Appearently, I have been diagnosed with something known as non-verbal disorder. A basic definition of this is not being able to express feelings through words very well, but through facial expressions. A sad looking face reveals that the person is sad, even if they don’t want to talk about it.

In this day, I have been able to meet many friends and have more courage to speak and socialize, as well as treat people with the respect they deserve. It’s very fufilling, especially because there was a time when I never wanted friends.
Now I have a phobia of being alone. Not just a simple annoyance, but a real fear. I had once gone to the local town lake to finish some art homework, and was there alone. It went fine at first, enjoying the sunshine and drawing. I had stayed many hours with nobody to talk to. Some part of my mind had told me that I should hurt myself. It was late and dark out now, and I walked down to the beach, to stand in front of the beach. I was mentally unstable at this point I walked out across the rocks of the lake, and wanted to jump in the rushing waves.
A number of panic attacks had happened previoulsly to this day, which were very frightening, as the death knell seemed to ring. Never saw a doctor or psychiatrist.

This was much too lengthy. It was not written for myself. I never do anything for myself; I only live for helping others. Somebody told me something similar to this, and it was inspiring.
Often I will talk to people who are suicidnd try to console them, comfort them, make them want to live. It makes me cry, but it’s worth it to sacrifice myself for somebody else. I would be willing to die for anyone, even complete strangers.
If these words benefitted somebody, then that is all we could ever ask for.

Well said.

In any case, many congratulations on the award! You definitely deserve to have praise showered on you for your openness about your struggle, your commitment to erasing the stigma attached to mental illness, and your commitment to helping people who suffer from it. Just from reading the comments to this entry, it’s clear you’ve had a tremendous impact on many people’s lives (and thanks to everyone who’s shared their stories).

I was also amazed by the part of the interview where you mentioned calling people who contacted you while suicidal, and staying on the phone with them until they got help. Wow. Your compassion and dedication to others blows me away. What other celebrity would do that? It might sound cheesy, but you make me want to be a better person.

~

Peace, within and without
Susie

I am going to turn 26 on the 30th and it is something that I truly did not expect to be here to experience. This past March I attempted suicide. This was not supposed to be an attempt, it was supposed to work. I have been diagnosed and suffered from anxiety and depression since high school. I didn’t realize that I had gone into another severe depression caused by a sort of identity crisis. I stopped working (I’m a High School teacher and I love it more than anything), I stopped paying my bills, seeing my friends, or talking to my family.
One night I decided I was going to die. I took all of my prescription medication and tried to cut my wrist. I ended up overdosing on my meds and stayed awake in a semi-conscious state all night. My sister and the paramedics and police arrived the next morning at 8 am.
I lived, with no serious physical side effects. The rebuilding of my life is taking a long time. I am on steady medication, I go to an amazing therapist once a week, and I have completely turned my life around. I am working to get back into my career, I have a new group of strong wonderful friends, and I am ready to keep on keeping on.
I feel like this experience has given me something that I didn’t have before. I have to live with a scar on my wrist, and it is hard for me when people notice it. But I am who I am and I am not going to regret what I did. I am going to learn from it and hopefully help others by sharing what I have learned.
I have mentionned before on this blog how much I enjoy coming here. But posts like this really make my heart smile.
Thanks everyone![/quote]

I write this with eyes welled up with tears and not b/c of where you were but b/c you are still here and have somehow mustered it up to live your life! As I read your blog, I thought about all that you have to offer to students just by who you are…not Just Amanda, but by AMANDA!

I wish you a happy and long life Amanda!

The stigma surround mental illness is so difficult to fight, and I know that firsthand because, while I never, ever judge anyone else with such an illness, I still manage to judge myself for my own. In anyone else, I accept it just as if they were diagnosed with diabetes or asthma; but for some reason, I can’t extend that understanding to myself. I should be stronger… mind over matter… don’t be such a victim… toughen up (all things I’ve been told by others, incidentally). It’s as if I think I can just will my brain to be “normal” (whatever that is). I guess it’s just more of that societal pressure to be perfect (whatever that is, too)… I just feel damaged and defective most of the time. (And then, because I’m not actually an idiot and I rationally realize that you CAN’T just mind-over-matter these things, I feel even more defective for not being able to make myself believe that.)

So: all that to say, it’s extremely helpful to me to see someone so matter-of-fact and accepting of his own illness, especially someone I highly respect apart from all that. And reading other people’s stories on here helps, too. I wish I could be more open about things; I’m only semi-open online, and completely secretive in real life. I hope one day that will change.

I would of never joined this site, if it wasn’t for the fact that Matt’s honest writing’s about his struggles, triumphs, and that he is an exceptional person, that I admire and respect. It didn’t take long to figure that out either. According to his friend, what you see is what you get with Matt, and he was right.

Matt’s friend is still struggling to find the right medication to treat his illness. One size does not fit all. Sometimes it can take years to get it right. Most of the time, proper diagnosis and treatment are missed. On average, it can take up to 10 years until people get the right treatment. That’s why it is so important to spread awareness. I don’t want anyone to go through what I did . I wrote to Matt, and told him how I diagnosed myself after doing alot of research. I have helped alot of people over the years and it has been very rewarding. I pray that all of you who are in remission like me, don’t forget about others who are where you were at one time……Give back…..

not really no…the Alberta statistic was 450 last year. Unfucking real, eh?[/quote]

Interesting and sad statistic. Where I previously stated in my entry that Albertans consume the least amount of anti-depressants in Canada, this may represent a real problem when considered alongside the high suicide rate in Alberta. Meaning that there are likely many Albertans suffering from severe depression who are not being diagnosed and treated effectively.