A new collection of essays explores issues related to mental health, associated stigma and recovery from mental illness in Newfoundland and Labrador. The book, titled Out Loud: Essays on Mental Illness, Recovery and Stigma, includes over 50 essays, courageously and honestly written by people living across the province. All contributors have been affected by mental illness personally or as friends, family members, community members or professionals of others living with mental health issues or conditions. The authors include well-known children’s entertainer Terry Rielly, who is living with depression; a young woman living with depression who was first diagnosed at age 13; and the granddaughter of a woman who faced bipolar disorder and stigma many years ago. The collection also features an introduction written by Ramona Dearing, a CBC Radio host and author.
The book was produced through a partnership of the Canadian Mental Health Association, Newfoundland and Labrador Division (CMHA-NL) and Breakwater Books, Ltd. Copies of the book can be purchased online through the Breakwater Books website (www.breakwaterbooks.com) or Chapters. Royalties will support the work of CMHA-NL, the Pottle Centre, the Schizophrenia Society of Newfoundland and Labrador, and Consumers’ Health Awareness Network, Newfoundland and Labrador.
For more information, see the CMHA-NL website atwww.cmhanl.ca/outloud.asp.
A series of radio shows featuring interviews between Ramona Dearing and the collection’s authors was broadcast during Mental Health Week 2010. To hear the broadcasts, visit www.cbc.ca.