Culture & Identity

Minds Matter Magazine Volume III Issue I

Table Of Contents
Letter from the Theme Advisor ...Pg 4
Cover Artist
Statement
Culture and identity are two facets of our human experience that are intrinsic to our being. How
we communicate and engage reflect this essence. In this issue, we explore mental health when
expressed through culture and/or identity.
As a photographer, my medium is my camera and my canvas is life around me. Colours, their
subtle details and even their absence create a variety of emotions and responses that I use in my
photographs. Our cover features a simple image of a female profile. It consists of three distinct
forms overlapping one another, to reflect our varied attitudes towards mental health. Within the
image, some layers are seen in absolute contrast, to reflect our sometimes-contradictory views,
while others are in grayscale, to reflect uncertainty. Black and white or gray imagery represent
traditional or mainstream methods or expressions of understanding mental health. The brightly
colored image reflects a creative and novel approach to representing mental health conditions
that are often stereotyped with negative light.
Adley Lobo
Adley is a UTSC alumnus who gratuated with a Bachelor of Arts in History
Letter from the Editor ...Pg 6
‘Where do I belong?’ and other challenging questions ...Pg 8
What does recovery mean? ...Pg 12
When I was institutionalized ...Pg 16
Stories of mental illness from the West Indies ...Pg 19
What’s in the name of a diagnosis? ...Pg 22
‘We never grew up with our culture’ ...Pg 25
The language of my discontent ...Pg 28
Recognizing education culture and its role in mental health ...Pg 31
Ill and abroad ...Pg 35
Masthead ...Pg 38
Acknowlegdements ...Pg 39
UTSC Navigator ...Pg 40
Trigger warning:
This term intends to help people navigate content that may be explicit or could provoke intense and possibly
harmful emotional reactions. They primarily deal with topics that may cause someone to relive trauma, or
experience painful emotions. These are specific terms related to words, stories, pictures or ideas that can
commonly cause acute trauma.

Minds Matter Magazine Volume III Issue I Culture & Identity
Theme
Advisor
Over the past three years, I have had the pleasure of engaging with the impressive group of UTSC
students and alumni who have dedicated themselves to the Minds Matter Magazine (MMM)
project. I have been consistently impressed by the MMM team’s commitment to their mission
of promoting awareness about mental health by focusing on student perspectives. In addition
to putting together impressive collections of written and multi-media content, they have successfully
helped to foster greater dialogue about mental health issues on the UTSC campus and
beyond. It was my honour and pleasure to work with the MMM team as theme advisor on this
issue.
In 2014, the Lancet Commission on Culture and Health declared: “The systematic neglect
of culture in health and health care is the single biggest barrier to the advancement of the highest
standard of health worldwide.” This is a powerful statement, and one which is particularly
relevant to issues of mental health, which are intimately tied to questions of identity, self, and
personhood. As a clinical psychologist, researcher, and teacher with a focus on culture and mental
health, I spend a lot of time thinking about how cultural context intersects with mental health
and illness. Research across multiple disciplines clearly demonstrates the myriad ways in which
cultural and identity factors are profoundly involved in the ways that people experience, think
about, talk about, and seek to address psychological distress. People’s cultural backgrounds and
context can inform what types of symptoms are most salient and distressing; when and with
whom it is appropriate to seek care; the types of labels and metaphors used to describe mental
illness; and the implications of stigma associated with labels and diagnoses. This is a challenging
topic, which requires openness to diverse perspectives and nuanced examination of complex
phenomena. Nevertheless, as suggested in the quote above, building a culturally-informed approach
to mental health - which promotes an understanding of individuals in context - is crucial
to advancing the field.
Although I am well versed in the ways that academics approach this topic area, I have been
pleasantly surprised and impressed by the varied ways in which the MMM journalists and artists
have chosen to tackle this issue’s theme. This issue includes broad and diverse interpretations
of notions of identity and culture. There are pieces that draw on expert opinion and research
to help examine and clarify relevant constructs. There are also intimate, personal pieces about
lived experience of mental illness, which help to foster a greater understanding of individuals
in context. Topics range from an examination of complex identities in multicultural contexts, to
varied perspectives about stigma and its impact, to the impact of colonization and reclamation
of Indigenous culture. A recurring theme throughout the issue is the desire to promote greater
understanding and openness, and to foster conversations about mental health that recognize
identity and cultural factors as fundamentally important. In this way, the pieces included in this
issue speak to larger, ongoing efforts in the field to emphasize the central place of culture and
identity in mental health. I hope and expect that the content of this issue will spark questions,
reflections, and discussion.
Jessica Dere, Ph.D., C. Psych
Assistant Professor, Teaching Stream
Department Of Psychology
University of Toronto Scarborough
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Minds Matter Magazine Volume III Issue I Culture & Identity
Letter from the
Editor
This year was one of incredible growth for Minds Matter Magazine. We grew to 41 members,
including three new editors, two new peer facilitators (an editorial role we introduced this year)
and eleven new writers. This was also the first year we used Story Circles, our in-house, stepby-step
writing class, to create our articles. Our e-Issue has almost double the stories than ever
before. In this time of great change, it is fitting that our theme is Culture and Identity.
I was also delighted by the passion I saw at our Story Circles. I worried about loading more
classes on already-burdened students. But I was met with consistent excitement, dedication
and a hunger to learn about storytelling. It made teaching for the first time - an idea that once
seemed impossible to me as someone with a severe anxiety disorder - an encouraging opportunity
for my own growth, for which I am extremely grateful.
As you read our e-Issue, I invite you to challenge your ideas of what mental health means
in the context of culture and identity, as my own views were by the brilliant people that make up
our masthead. With the guidance of the amazing Jessica Dere, who inspires me each time I see
her, we have created an issue that I am proud and excited to share with you.
Alexa Battler
Alexa is a fourth year student specializing in journalism and minoring in political science
more. Their interpretations of this theme are creative, vast and captivating.
Culture has a massive influence on the way we view the world - including others and ourselves.
Mental health and mental illness, and the ways we understand and respond to them, are
fundamentally intertwined in the culture we observe. This, in turn, changes the way we view,
unravel and treat ourselves.
When one thinks of the intersection of culture and mental health, they may think of the
ways certain cultures devalue or heavily stigmatize mental illness. I have seen it many times
within mental health communities and academic settings. Even a quick Google search of ‘culture
and mental health’ pulls up pages of sources criticizing poor or stigmatizing mental health care
across the world. There is an underlying suggestion that a Western, often medical approach to
mental health care is inherently correct.
While a critical approach to mental health is of course important, a narrow approach can
pigeonhole and stereotype understandings of mental health, instead of opening a productive
dialogue that may unite us as we pursue wellness. As we approached the theme, I worried about
reinforcing a condescending or judgmental approach from the Western-dominated perspectives
I have so often seen.
But our writers and artists explored this topic through an array of lenses. We explored
mental health and culture through its relationship to technology, education, language, and many
7

‘Where do I belong?’
and other changing questions
Shadi Laghai
Identity grows more multifaced as multiculturalism develops.
Image By Brian Lau
Minds Matter Magazine Volume III Issue I Culture & Identity
When making sense of one’s identity, questions
include, “Who are you?” “Where do
you belong?,” and the related question, “How
do you treat others?” Is it possible to answer
these questions in ways that satisfy our human
need to belong, without the cost of dividing
humanity into problematic
categories?
Identity questions, and the identity crisis
that comes with it, are new.
Yoel Inbar, a social psychology professor
at the University of Toronto (U of T), says
that until recent years, people inherited their
parents’ occupations and lived in more ethnically
homogenous communities. He says people
did not question who they were and what
they were supposed to do, because their
futures were predetermined.
Now, as the global community diversifies,
Inbar says “there’s a universe of choices
that you might feel obliged to optimize that in
the past you didn’t even have to worry about.”
But the freedom of forming our own
identity, suggests Inbar, can have a cost on
our mental health. Anxiety and depression increase
without a strong sense of who you are
and what you should do.
Children of immigrant and multicultural
families can feel the effects of inconsistent
identity most strongly.
Kimia Sedig, a student at Western University,
only started having identity crises in
her teens. She says this is because she did not
understand the complexity of the world as a
child.
“I was like, ‘I am Kimia, and that’s all
there is to it,’” she says.
It did not occur to her that her parents’
Jewish and Iranian culture would have a significant
impact on her identity.
As adults, simple personality identities
do not cut it anymore. When Shakib Mohsin,
a student at U of T, is asked where he is from,
he feels answering “Canada” is insufficient.
To those asking, he is different, and they are
looking for classification.
“It felt like you had to be a part of something
that you didn’t really identify with,”
Mohsin says.
Though Mohsin’s parents are from Bangladesh,
his relatives would mock him for not
speaking Bengali. He also did not identify with
Bengali norms, like loving the taste of fish.
Sedig describes a similar dilemma. She
says it felt like she was “hanging in a limbo
between two nicely boxed cultures” because
she did not have a strong sense of belonging
to either one.
Sedig experienced subtle discrimination
for not being a typical Canadian. At the
same time, because she was not fluent in Farsi
and did not know enough of her cultural
history and its traditions, she felt she was not
“enough” to wholly identify with her parents’
Jewish and Iranian cultures.
Not only did Mohsin and Sedig feel torn
between their cultures, Mohsin says he likes
learning and feeling a connection with many
things, including cultures that he did not
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Minds Matter Magazine Volume III Issue I Culture & Identity Minds Matter Magazine Volume III Issue I Culture & Identity
inherit by genetics or circumstance.
“The world isn’t just one thing so why
should I be,” he says.
Mohsin describes this fluid identity as a
“wanderer.” This is similar to what Sedig says
is part of growing up: you realize there are
parts of you predetermined to have specific
social connotations - like the way you look
and where you come from that shape the way
you experience the world.
Having had a culturally mixed experience
growing up, she realized that she had to
manoeuvre through cultural aspects and realize
what elements she really wanted to keep
and which elements may not have been appropriate
to incorporate into her life.
Manoeuvring is different from wandering.
Though flexible and evolving, manoeuvring
implies structure and method. It means
following, and building, a framework of expectations
about the world and how you should
be.
According to the identity development
model from the book Counselling American
Minorities, people have a fulfilled identity
when they can objectively view cultural values,
and have the internal knowledge and
skills to navigate their personal freedom.
This internal value system, or framework,
allows us to navigate the world and relates
to social identities.
Humans need the structure and connection
that group identity gives.
“The stronger your group, the happier
you will be, all else (being) equal,” Inbar says.
He says a superseding group identity
that unites diverse people “should be a group
that really has some punch to it in terms of
a strong goal, a strong sense of group identity,
a strong set of group norms that we care
about.”
Sedig says she has found this in the
Bahá’í Faith, a world religion founded by
Bahá’u’lláh. Its basic principles and core values
include the oneness of humankind and
universal education. Its activities, the aim
of which is the social transformation of the
world, are global, and applied locally through
a systematic learning culture. It promotes the
belief that we are of one human body and
that diversity is to be celebrated.
By fitting cultural aspects of her life
within the encompassing framework of her
primary identity, Sedig says she has found a
degree of peace.
“I don’t feel like I constantly need to be
defining myself with these secondary identities
and, as such, I don’t feel like a fraud laying
claim to any of them,” she says. The elements
that make up who she is -like her Persian,
Jewish, and Canadian cultures- are still being
put together, but the framework of universal
humanity makes it whole.
Whatever your primary identity, the
qualities and aspirations that unite us need to
be prioritized over cultural differences. Socially
constructed categorizations can be messy
and incompatible and there is more to life
than can be defined by the labels that will
always fall short of fully encompassing who
we are.
“We’re not titles, we’re not labels.
We’re people. We’re human beings,” says
Mohsin.
That is the heart of the human framework,
our primary identity.
10
11

What does recovery mean?
Ioana Arbone
Minds Matter Magazine Volume III Issue I Culture & Identity
One of the most popular ideas in mental
health is something that we can hardly define
- recovery.
Our ideas of recovery seem to constantly
change. Recovery is now part of international
and Canadian policy on mental
health. Yet it is difficult to understand what
recovery is. The idea varies across mental
illnesses, addictions and treatment methods.
Across the world, there are different
answers to these questions: What does it
mean to recover from mental illness or addiction?
How can people recover from mental
illness or addiction? And even, can people
recover from mental illness or addiction?
Studies in the 1970s showed that
most individuals diagnosed with schizophrenia
go on to live meaningful and productive
lives. This idea is at the core of the recovery
movement. One of the achievements of the
recovery movement is the integration of people
with lived experience as part of the overall
mental health and addiction system, and
training opportunities for mental health and
addiction staff to learn about recovery. Some
of the movement’s values are less murky. In
the recovery movement, “recovery” does not
mean symptoms or struggles disappear forever.
It means personal or psychological recovery
- learning to lead a meaningful life, while
still living with mental illness and its symptoms.
Understanding revovery across cultures is a goal driving a global movement.
Image By Adley Lobo
The pursuit of definitive answers to
these questions have given rise to the recovery
movement. The recovery movement is a
social movement working to change understanding
of mental illness across the world,
according to Larry Davidson, a Yale University
professor and author of Roots of the Recovery
Movement.
It is not clear specifically how or where
the recovery movement developed, but Davidson
says that the recovery model is very
Western, and focuses on the individual. He
says we need to be mindful of other cultures
who are focused more on the community
than the individual.
“One of the shortcomings of the concept
of recovery and the recovery movement
is that it’s hazy,” says Sean Kidd, a clinical
psychologist with the Centre for Addiction
and Mental Health.
In this, recovery includes focusing on
strengths, while acknowledging weaknesses.
It encourages people to take calculated risks
towards leading a meaningful life.
(Wellbeing, Recovery and Mental Health,
Chapter 9, page 102)
Recovery lies in decreasing and preventing
symptoms or unwanted behavior,
while increasing and promoting wellbeing
and strengths. Studies have supported the
benefit of focusing on strengths instead of
avoiding things that trigger symptoms - including
in mental health services.
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Minds Matter Magazine Volume III Issue I Culture & Identity Minds Matter Magazine Volume III Issue I Culture & Identity
Davidson says common mental health
stigma, like expectations of instability,
unpredictability and dangerousness,
decrease the opportunities for those with
mental illness to lead a meaningful life.
Mike Slade, a professor at the University
of Nottingham, says there is a gap between
policy and reality for recovery. He says
individuals with mental illness, even in mental
health settings, are still not viewed as full
citizens. He says they are not seen as “one
of us” by those without mental illness. But
disability rights-advocate Patricia Deegan
believes recovery should not mean sacrificing
identity.
When she was 18 years old, a hospital
psychiatrist told Deegan, who lives with
chronic schizophrenia, “If you take medications
for the rest of your life and avoid stress,
then maybe you can cope.“ To her, recovery
did not mean becoming “normal.” Deegan
pursued a doctoral degree and became one
of the leading figures of the recovery movement.
Kidd explains that this stigma also
exists at a systemic level. He says legal and
bureaucratic policies reinforce stigmatizing
ideas, like dangerousness or criminality.
“When the police are called to bring
someone to the hospital, no crime is committed,
nonetheless, there is a documentation
- a police file,” he said.
Systematic issues also exist within
treatment itself, says Kidd. He says that not
every doctor approaches a patient with the
idea that recovery is possible.
“(This message runs) counter to the
evidence,” he says.
He highlighted schizophrenia as a field
where doctors may approach a patient assuming
they will not be able to recover. Yet,
he says, most people with schizophrenia are
able to make major progress in their recovery.
Many are able to have a family, job, or
volunteer position, whether they still hear
voices or not.
Identifying and addressing this approach
is another goal of the recovery movement.
“We have to assume (that all patients)
are probably one of the larger group of people
that has some potential (to recover),” he
says.
Bill White, an emeritus senior researcher
consultant, focuses on recovery
from addiction and substance use.
“(The recovery movement) can inject
the experiential knowledge of more than
23,000 Americans in long-term recovery into
research, clinical, and policy discussions,”
White says. “If there is an untold story within
the addictions arena at public, policy, and
clinical levels, it is the story of long-term
recovery.”
Though experts agreed that there
is great progress made, they all expressed
that is a long way to go - particularly when it
comes to stigma.
Both Kidd and Slade said one of the
best ways to combat stigma is through
contact with those with mental illness. Especially
when the experience defies stereotypes.
Slade also encouraged people
to engage in “one conversation at a time.”
In ther words, every conversation we have
about mental health is important and reducing
stigma is not something that can change
overnight.
Davidson and White emphasized the
importance of community supports and positive
educational campaigns, without misleading
negative portrayals of individuals with
mental illness.
Hope is one of the main messages of
the recovery movement and that this is what,
at least in part, made the movement popular.
Yet, it is still not clear how to best implement
and think about recovery.
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15

When I was institutionalized
Jessica Barrera
I left with a new understanding of mental care, and myself.
HYPERLINK TRIGGER WARNING: sexual abuse, violence, physical and verbal
abuse
Image By Clark McRorie
Minds Matter Magazine Volume III Issue I Culture & Identity
I step out of a hot shower and into warm,
comfortable clothes. I quietly walk down the
hallway, into a room where the news plays
on TV. I walk to the bookshelf and choose A
Million Little Pieces by James Frey from rows
of novels. I take the book to my room and
quietly read. I am about four pages in when
I hear a knock on my door. My nurse has arrived
to bring me my medication.
Years of controversial treatments, mystery
induced fear, and media misrepresentations
have created a cultural perception in
Western society that psychiatric institutions
are full of padded cells, arm restraints and
forced medication injections. There is also a
widely held perception of psychiatric inpatients
being dangerous and violent.
My experience being institutionalized
was vastly different. In late April 2017, I was
admitted to the Centre for Addiction and
Mental Health (CAMH), in downtown Toronto
to be treated for a bipolar manic episode.
What was a scary situation at first became a
positive experience.
In Western media and popular cultural
perception, psychiatric institutions have been
portrayed as frightening, confining buildings
only for those who are severely ill or dangerous.
The location where I stayed first opened
as a provincially-run mental health facility in
1850. It was called the Provincial Lunatic Asylum.
In 1998, CAMH first formed as part of
rovince-wide efforts to redesign healthcare.
One of their four key challenges to address
was stigma.
Jennifer Bazar, a curator at Humber
College’s Lakeshore Grounds Interpretive
Centre, says the average Canadian today still
“assumes the worst” when they think about
psychiatric institutions. She says that psychiatric
institutions evoke fear of the unknown
and that, similar to people fascinated with
exploring abandoned buildings, there is a
sense of mystery behind the closed doors of
institutions.
“A lack of understanding perpetuates
assumptions,” Bazar says. “Often our minds
go to the most radical assumptions.” Ideas
of institutionalization have also been widely
popularized by classic films like Silence of the
Lambs and One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest.
Recent adaptations include those in American
Horror Story and Pretty Little Liars.
Clark McRorie, a film student at Ryerson
University, says these shows and movies
traditionally portray psychiatric wards in a
negative light. He argues they often include
“some form of torture.”
“They use this setting for a horror story
vibe, where you see people getting electric
shock therapy or drowned in ice water, or
being forced to take medication,” he says.
This narrative can lead people to fear
psychiatric institutions. But the week I spent
at CAMH was one of the most transformative,
challenging and positive experiences I
have ever had.
CAMH is one of the leading teaching
and research institutes for mental health in
the world. The morning after I was admitted,
a physician gave me a physical examination
- an important reminder that healing is both
mental and physical. There were scheduled
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Minds Matter Magazine Volume III Issue I Culture & Identity
activities throughout weekdays, like art and
yoga classes, smoothie-making workshops,
access to the fitness center and trips to the
gym across the street to play basketball.
I spent my stay writing poetry, relaxing,
making friends, but most importantly, I
spent time being sick.
Inpatient care felt like the first time I
was allowed to be mentally ill, and for that, I
was grateful. For years leading up to my stay,
I had been denying or trying to justify the
emotions I felt, attempting to appear stable
for my friends and family. The way people
responded to my feelings in inpatient care
was different than anything I had experienced
before.
One patient saw me upset and said
only, “I’m sorry you’re crying Jessica.” That
was all. There was no questioning, no embarrassment
and no shame - only understanding.
That compassion was one of the most
helpful aspects of my stay. I was surrounded
by people going through similar things, and
had a support team of nurses, medical doctors,
dietitians, and psychiatrists who were
all there to help us.
Not all institutionalization experiences
are like mine. Around the world, some psychiatric
institutions are as horrific as some
films portray them. In recent years, institutions
in (hyperlink trigger warning) Shanghai
and Guatemala had been found to be using
the same forced injections and physical
restraints seen in popular films. This type
of abuse has been found even in California,
where a federal review in 2015 found rampant
abuse in five mental health institutions.
But the more that we discuss and normalize
conversations about institutionalization,
the more we normalize our perceptions
of what institutionalization should be. This
leads to widespread empowerment to challenge
abuse as something inherently wrong
within the mental health care system.
Curiosity and communication are
important in understanding topics like institutionalization.
It’s easy to be afraid of
the unknown and form opinions based on
movies and TV shows. Bazar points out the
importance of hearing all sides of the story,
recognizing the history and realizing that we
must “accept that (the conversation) is
uncomfortable.”
Conversations about mental health
must be open. We must understand that
while some are afraid, there are distinct reasons
behind their fear - in this case, decades
of misconception and misrepresentation.
McRorie said that in recent years,
some media representation has shifted. The
dehumanizing of people with mental illnesses
is not seen as much, and characters
are portrayed as less scary and dangerous,
but more as real people. This can be seen
in movies like Silver Linings Playbook and A
Beautiful Mind, where people with mental
illnesses are portrayed in a more realistic
way.
“We are talking more, and willing to
talk more. I think we just have miles to go,”
says Bazar.
Stories of mental illness
from the West Indies
Victoria Gibson Billings
Exploring the intersection of cultural stigma and modern mental health through
stories.
Image By Adley Lobo

Minds Matter Magazine Volume III Issue I Culture & Identity Minds Matter Magazine Volume III Issue I Culture & Identity
Traditional culture in the West Indies often
does not include conversations about mental
illness. For some, an overwhelming cultural
expectation to be easygoing leaves little
room for illnesses like depression or anxiety.
A 2012 study of inpatients in West
Indian hospitals found that 12 per cent of
inpatients needed psychiatric care, but that
only 1.5 per cent of hospital patients were
ever referred. The study found that one of
the primary reasons for the low rates were
doctors worrying that their patients would
be offended or stigmatized by a referral.
Once people leave the West Indies, it
may be harder to grasp the concepts of mental
health without associating it with cultural
stigma.
The following are a collection of
quotes from people still living in the Caribbean,
as well as first and second generation
Canadians with East Indian roots. All of those
interviewed struggle with some degree of
mental illness.
“It’s possible that the mental health services
for people in the (millennial) age group are
good in terms of care. Down here, a lot of
people with mental health problems tend to
be people a lot older on the streets who are
there because they went insane from drug
abuse.”
-16 year old, living in St. Vincent
“I think people down here are oblivious to
the fact that people down here may be mentally
unstable, because you don’t see a lot of
cases.”
-18 year old, living in St. Vincent
20
“Crazy home pick me up.”
-18-year-old resident of mental health
facility, living in St. Vincent
“I needed support. I should be coping better,
but I didn’t ask for support.”
-45 year old, first generation Canadian
“Vow to not keep things from my parents,
but do it factually.”
-45 year old, first generation Canadian
“I’m pregnant now, and I know that I will
raise my child in a household where it is
okay to talk to a psychiatrist, it doesn’t mean
you’ve gone crazy.”
-31 year old, second generation Canadian
“Didn’t want to seem weak, like I couldn’t
manage my kids.”
-28 year old, first generation Canadian
“Being on medication was top secret. I took a
leave from work and did not tell my parents
until two months in. At first, my Mum was
angry that I didn’t inform her, but I think she
started to understand”
-45 year old, first generation Canadian
“Never used the words depression or anxiety,
because then it would seem too real.”
-19 year old, second generation Canadian
“It’s not episodic, I will struggle with this for
the rest of my life. It’s not over, and I think
they would like for it to just be over.”
-45 year old, first generation Canadian
“They have a better time accepting it when it
is associated with something else, like I was
starting my first year of university so it makes
sense for me to be anxious. They would
never acknowledge that I have a generalized
anxiety disorder, something doctors
diagnosed me with almost a year later.”
-22 year old, first generation Canadian
“Not warm and fuzzy like the parents of
other people I knew.”
-26 year old, second generation Canadian
“I softened the blow with telling my parents
by giving them articles. This had a dual
purpose - of showing them that other
people struggle like I do, and it’s not
something to be ashamed of. Mum Googled,
and gave them to my dad to read. The issue
now was their interpretation of the articles.”
-45 year old, first generation Canadian
“I tell my kids now they can ask for anything,
and tell me anything.”
-45 year old, first generation Canadian
“Being on top of my own daughter’s mental
health. I’ve taken her to every single person
under the sun. I don’t want her to spend 10
years of not knowing. She can openly talk
about her feelings.”
-45 year old, first generation Canadian
“I never thought the way I was feeling was
a real thing. I couldn’t tie it to one particular
instance in my life, and I think that’s why
my parents had a hard time grasping it. My
depression just came on hard and fast, and I
couldn’t say why.”
-31 year old, second generation Canadian
“I also didn’t need to be handled with child
gloves, I am still a functioning adult. Just
functioning with bipolar disorder. I think it
was hard for my family to group the two
together.”
-45 year old, first generation Canadian
“Lack of education surrounding mental
illness is a huge factor. I don’t blame my
parents for not understanding my depression
because I don’t think my mother even faced
her own depression.”
-28 year old, first generation Canadian
21

What’s in the name
of a diagnosis?
Gina Nicoll
Would a diagnosis by another name carry the same ideas?
Image By Phoebe Maharaj
Minds Matter Magazine Volume III Issue I Culture & Identity
Imagine you are meeting Hiromi, a 22-yearold
Japanese man. He has integration disorder,
which can affect his thoughts and perceptions.
Sometimes, what he experiences does
not reflect reality. But with the right help, he
can recover and lead a normal life.
What is your first impression of Hiromi? Would
you be open to being friends with him?
Would your view of him change if you knew
he actually had schizophrenia?
This thought experiment is the reality
in Japan. In 2002, the Japanese medical system
changed Seishin-Bunretsu-Byo - which
translates to “mind-split disease” - to Togo-Shitcho-Sho
or integration disorder. Mindsplit
disease is the same diagnosis as schizophrenia,
which comes from the Greek words
for “split” and “mind.”
Along with the name change, Japanese
psychiatrists created new associations for integration
disorder. It is no longer a debilitating
and hopeless disease leading to decline and
discrimination. Under a vulnerability-stress
model, they rebranded it as a disorder where
recovery is possible with the right medication
and support.
If you hear “schizophrenia” and think
of threat and aggression, you are not alone.
A 2001 study of Quebecois individuals found
that 54 per cent of respondents considered
people with schizophrenia dangerous and violent.
However, people with schizophrenia
are 14 times more likely to be victims of violence
than perpetrators of it. Reports also
indicate that 99.97 per cent of people with
schizophrenia are not convicted of serious
violence in a year.
Our public perceptions of schizophrenia
are not just wrong; they are actively
harmful. A 2014 study examined how changing
the name of schizophrenia could change
perception. The study found that treatment
outcomes for schizophrenia are poorer in
the Western world - where only one in three
people with schizophrenia recover - than in
Nairobi, Kenya, where one in two people recover.
One of the main reasons for this is said
to be the stigma associated with schizophrenia
in the Western world.
In a different survey, two-thirds of
people with schizophrenia did not pursue
treatment because of the anticipated stigma.
Another survey cited in the study found that
the majority of Western people with schizophrenia
view the discrimination that comes
from having schizophrenia more negatively
than the symptoms of the disorder itself.
In Japan, before the name of the diagnosis
changed, there were similar associations
between schizophrenia, unpredictability,
and violence. Many doctors would not
inform people of their diagnosis for fear of
inflicting stigma and discrimination, which
would affect their treatment.
Since the name change, the diagnosis
is viewed as less stigmatizing. Within two
years, 33 per cent more people were informed
of their diagnosis, and 86 per cent of
psychiatrists surveyed said the change made
it easier to tell family and friends about the
diagnosis and helped introduce education
23

Minds Matter Magazine Volume III Issue I Culture & Identity
and treatment. The new name and concept
have also reduced associations with violence
and increased the number of people who
ould have a relationship with someone with
schizophrenia.
them that?
We never grew up
with our culture
Nicole Royle
But what about the West? Could we
change the name and understanding of
schizophrenia as Japan did? Initial studies
with people from the United Kingdom and
Ireland show that it could have positive
effects. The name “integration disorder”
decreases the discriminatory attitudes toward
someone who has recovered from the
acute phase of illness. With the new name,
participants were more likely to say they
would employ, work with, rent to, or become
friends with the person.
A name change would not be an automatic
win. It would have to accompany correct
information about integration disorder,
instead of perpetuating the same stereotypes
of danger and violence that come with
schizophrenia.
Some critics of a prospective name
change in the West say that we need to
address the root cause of the issue, rather
than a mere symptom. It would not change
the larger stigma against mental illness in
our society. But it would be an opportunity
to correct the concept of the disorder, like
Japan did. As other researchers say, a name
change is not just a new label but “an entirely
different way of thinking about people
with schizophrenia.”
When we have miscast them as violent
criminals, despite evidence to the contrary,
and impeded their recovery, don’t we owe
24
One person’s separation and journey to reconnect with their Indigenous roots.
TRIGGER WARNING: OVERDOSE, DRUGS, DEATH, RESIDENTIAL SCHOOLS
Image By Adley Lobo

Minds Matter Magazine Volume III Issue I Culture & Identity Minds Matter Magazine Volume III Issue I Culture & Identity
Although born in the Northwest Territories
rich in Inuit culture, Nanook (Nook) Fareal
was raised in a predominantly white town in
Nova Scotia. At 23, Fareal is finding herself
piecing together a sense of identity.
Fareal was born from an Inuit mother
and white father. Her parents separated
when she was three and her father moved
her and her brother across Canada, consequently
away from their Inuit culture.
“We never grew up with our culture,
and I always felt like I was white,” Fareal said.
“I grew up around all white people. I was a
white person up until a few years ago.”
Fareal felt like there was something
missing. She struggled for a long time with
mental illness and drug addiction, not knowing
who she was scared her and left her
uncomfortable with life. When she moved to
Toronto in her twenties, she had an opportunity
to learn.
She looked into her Inuit culture and
became invested in the LGBTQ community–
where she connected to others struggling
with their own identity. At the same time, a
Native friend began learning about his family’s
history and culture. His interest was
contagious and Fareal started joining him at
Native community centres and events.
He died of a drug overdose before he
could teach Fareal everything he knew about
their shared culture, so she continued to pursue
her identity on her own. It was difficult
for her, but his spirit remained an inspiration
to move forward.
“There was a reason why he was
searching for his culture more,” said Fareal.
“So I also started pushing myself forward and
getting more into it.”
The more she learned, the worse she
felt for her people, what they have been
through and what those still living in Northern
Canada continue to face every day. Fareal
decided to help.
Last year during the holiday season
Fareal started the Feeding Canada project,
which sends canned food and care packages
to Northern Indigenous communities. With
the help of friends, Fareal set up a GoFund-
Me page with images of the shockingly high
food prices in Northern Canada.
Brenda Megannety, a retired yoga
instructor, is among those who have helped
with the Feeding Canada project. Megannety
was introduced to Fareal through mutual
friends and, like so many others, was moved
by her spirit and passion.
“I met her a few times and I just really
liked her. I liked her energy and her drive,”
Meganetty said.
After reaching out to Fareal last year
during the first shipment of goods to the
North, Megannety wanted to be more involved.
Megannety became an asset to the
project and continues to be involved.
“I guess it was when I looked and saw
the prices up in Nunavut. It’s insane. That really
just got me going,” Megannety said. “And
I thought, there is so much going on in the
world and so much money we can give. Why
not just give them home? Why not give our
own country?”
When she was 22, Fareal reached out
to her mother for the first time since the
divorce. She learned her mother had been
placed in a residential school as a young girl.
This resonated with Fareal; suddenly she was
personally involved and the horrific past of
her people became too real.
“Imagine all the abuse they went
through. It just hit me really hard,” Fareal
said, looking away as she recounted the time
she learned about her mother’s past. “I felt
so hopeless. I decided to start the project, I
needed to help in some way.”
After Feeding Canada’s first year, Fareal
managed to send boxes to six different
families and eight care packages to a food
bank in Nunavut– with the highest food
prices in Canada.
Fareal has decided to expand the campaign
in the next years. Wanting to involve
more of herself and her own identity into her
project, Fareal is beginning to plan an LGBTQ
fashion show to fundraise for her cause. She
wants to showcase LGBTQ designers from
Canada and the U.S. and incorporate Native
fashion designers as well.
All of Feeding Canada’s donations go
into the contents of the care packages and
shipping costs. Fareal wants to do more to
help entire communities and increase her
success from six families.
“I was thinking of using the money to
go up there and give it to the hunters,” Fareal
said thinking of the possibilities. “And then
they’ll bring back the food and then they can
feed their whole community.”
The fundraising and project have
helped Fareal learn about her culture and
herself. Learning more about Native history
has led Fareal to see what Indigenous people
are capable of surviving– what she is capable
of and what she can survive.
“I feel like I’ve come a long way in the
last couple years with finding my identity,”
Fareal said smiling to herself. “Although, I
know it’s a long process.”
26
27

Minds Matter Magazine Volume III Issue I Culture & Identity
In the language
of my discontent
Samantha Lauby
Psychiatric Language must coexist with the ways we talk about our mental
health experiences.
TRIGGER WARNING: SUICIDE ATTEMPT, DEATH
Image By Phoebe Maharaj
Coming out of the rabbit hole is not easy.
It involves motivation, patience, a touch of
creativity and one rule: don’t let the Queen
of Hearts take your head.
I tell my experiences with mental
health as metaphors because experiences
are beyond the limits of our language. I identify
with Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland
because the timing of the recent adaptation
coincided with a major transition in my
life. I was leaving my hometown to pursue
post-secondary education. I was going to a
new environment—one that would provide
the structure to let me thrive.
I did not want to go.
I had a small network of therapists,
psychiatrists and medical doctors I knew I
would lose if I moved away. Steeped in the
language of psychiatry, I was convinced that
my death would be under my control - a
suicide attempt that I couldn’t survive. The
aura of hopelessness that the language
provided made recovery seem impossible
and distress inescapable. I did not think I
would live beyond my twenty-fifth birthday.
Almost two years after entering University,
I was in recovery. Over my recovery, I
have adopted another metaphor: The Matrix.
I have chosen to take the red pill by reducing
psychotropic medications to a minimum and
shedding the language of psychiatry. This is
not an easy transition, but I am already reaping
the rewards.
With my own language, I can advocate
for my needs and learn to live with quirks
that people called a “disorder.” It is organized
chaos, thank you very much.
Along this 13-year journey, I was plastered
with labels like “generalized anxiety d
isorder,” “depression with psychotic features,”
“borderline personality disorder,”
and, most recently, “schizoaffective disorder.”
Though I cannot think of myself as having
these labels today, they will stick with me for
the rest of my life, shrouding the beauty of
my inner world.
I have experienced more stigma in
recovery than while I was suffering under
these labels. If I express any distress, people
- especially medical professionals - start to
question my recovery. While it is optional to
talk to acquaintances about my stresses, it is
required to talk, and be judged by, a professional
stranger. This stigma is amplified when
they know I am on a medication diet.
The language of psychiatry spreads
with the biomedical model - the view that
mental health conditions are caused by
abnormalities in the brain. I fear that this
stigma I experience will become more widespread.
It does not matter if the finger of
blame is pointed at my actions, my mind,
or my brain - if the language that surrounds
these labels (e.g., “deficit,” “faulty wiring,”
“inflexible”) does not change, we all suffer.
Katie Kilroy-Marac, an anthropology
professor at University of Toronto Scarborough,
also fears that a strict biomedical approach
can ignore our experiences and how
we can grow from them.
But Kilroy-Marac says this language
may help some narrate their experiences.
29

Minds Matter Magazine Volume III Issue I Culture & Identity
“For people dealing with mental health
issues, a diagnosis... can be a key step in feeling
better,” Kilroy-Marac said.
Culture has sway on the language surrounding
psychiatric labels. The way we think
about the brain may reflect how we cope
with imperfections within it.
society, behaviour, and health, I now know
what to do if I wander too far or get too
distressed. I simply need to wake up and
connect with the outside environment.
Recognizing education culture
and its role in mental health.
Elanna Clayton
Kilroy-Marac noted that if we thought
of the brain as a garden, we may be more
likely to think about self-care and healing
than our current thinking of the brain as a
computer.
“With the computer metaphor, we
have ideas about switches, overloads, wiring,
and fixes,” she said.
I have faith that psychiatry can co-exist
with other languages and explanations
of mental health. The key term, of course,
is co-exist. If psychiatry can remember that
they are the servants of the people in distress,
and listen to them without the biomedical
filter, then I have hope that incidences
of recovery will outpace the number of
people diagnosed with mental health conditions.
With the introduction and acceptance
of mindfulness (a philosophy associated with
Asian-area religions) as a therapy, psychiatrists
are moving in this direction.
Unlike the 2010 movie adaptation,
Lewis Carroll’s original Alice’s Adventures in
Wonderland does not show Alice coming out
of the rabbit hole. She simply wakes up.
30
As I explore the wonders of language,
Our early stages in education can change the ways we view and understand mental
health for the rest of our lives.
TRIGGER WARNING: SELF-HARM, SUICIDE
Image By Phoebe Maharaj

Minds Matter Magazine Volume III Issue I Culture & Identity Minds Matter Magazine Volume III Issue I Culture & Identity
A culture without early mental health education
can leave youth isolated and confused.
They may not know what they are experiencing
or how to reach out for help.
Elizabeth Baker was diagnosed with
depression and anxiety in her first year of
university, but it was in Grade six that she
first thought about self-harm.
Baker attended Good Shepherd Catholic
Elementary School from 2003 to 2009.
She says she does not remember the school
teaching about mental illnesses or mental
health. She feels this will influence her for
the rest of her life.
The first time Baker learned about
mental health was in Grade 9 health class, at
the age of 14.
“I remember feeling kind of weird,”
she says. “It was the first time I’d heard of it,
and it was all kind of scary stuff.”
But the introduction to this education
was late in Baker’s experience with mental
illness. She was in Grade 10 when her selfharm
hit a peak.
“I found that when I started to get
angry or upset about anything, I didn’t know
how to cope with it,” she says. “That’s why I
turned to self-harm.”
Baker’s experience reflects a generational
gap in mental health education. Her
parents were not understanding when it
came to mental illness. In high school, the
only teacher she confided in then told her
parents. Feeling judged and isolated, Baker
decided to keep her mental health issues
secret.
“Elementary schools need to prepare
students for what they’re going to face and
the different people they’re going to meet
and the issues they’re going to go through.
There needs to be some discussion.”
In an article exploring how education
should be taught in Canadian schools, psychiatrist
Stanley Kutcher says that mental health
should be introduced in Grade 8, as that is
when most mental disorders begin to manifest.
Yet, according to the Canadian Mental
Health Association of Toronto, suicide is the
second leading cause of death for Canadians
between the ages of 10 - when children in
Ontario are in Grade 4 - and 24.
Canadian psychiatrist Alexa Bagnall reported
that adolescents who seek help often
know very little about mental illness. A BMC
Public Health study found that mental health
was a factor in 24 per cent of teenagers who
dropped out of high school. One of the largest
factors in this are high rates of anxiety
and a lack of understanding on healthy methods
of dealing with stress.
Full-time elementary school students
spend around 195 days per year in school.
At around six hours every day, at least 13 per
cent of a child’s life is spent in school every
year. Discussing mental health in classrooms
will allow the normalization of mental health
discussion, rather than isolating and addressing
only the individual who experiences
mental health issues. These
students then grow to create a culture of
adults that are educated and comfortable
with mental health.
School boards across Ontario are now
realizing the importance of early mental
health education. Ontario Shores has begun
funding a curriculum in the Durham Region
aimed at increasing awareness about mental
illnesses. Their goal is to expand this curriculum
across the rest of Ontario.
In 2011, the Government of Ontario
released Open Minds, Healthy Minds: Ontario’s
Comprehensive Mental Health and
Addictions Strategy, which introduced more
mental health programming, tailored from
childhood to old age. The implementation of
their plan began with early intervention and
support for children and youth in Ontario.
It required school boards across Ontario to
create specific mental health action plans.
The Toronto District School Board
(TDSB) created a 30-page five-year plan in
2013, following a survey they had released
the year before. In the survey, staff identified
that a stronger approach to mental health
was necessary for the students’ well being.
Their plan aims to help educators recognize
when students are experiencing distress and
how to support them in their pathway to
better mental health. It also gives suggestions
on how to discuss mental health with
parents and students at both the elementary
and secondary level to maintain the support
throughout education.
The Durham District School Board
(DDSB) released a 36-page five-year plan in
2013. The plan was implemented in support
of the board’s decisions to implement first
aid in mental health, fight stigma, and establish
a mental health committee by partnering
with mental health organizations. By June
2013, the school board planned for each
elementary and secondary school to have
at least one staff member trained in mental
health first aid.
But Baker’s elementary school, Good
Shepherd Catholic Elementary School, is in
the Durham Catholic District School Board.
The school board’s action plan, released in
2014, is only eight pages long with no lesson
plans or outlines.
Baker says if mental health had been
addressed earlier, she “would like to think
maybe things would have been different.”
32
33

Minds Matter Magazine Volume III Issue I Culture & Identity
Ill and abroad
Tiffany Lieu
How travelling and studying abroad can benefit mental health.
Image By Rimsha Aziz
Some aspects of travel can be wonderful, like
exploring the unfamiliar and experiencing
new cultures. Other aspects can be difficult,
particularly when mental illness is involved.
When I was younger, I hated being
away from home. Sleepovers with friends or
vacations with family were scary and stressful
to me. I did not like to stray from my
comfort zone.
As I got older, my travel anxiety lessened
and I learned to enjoy my time away.
Being out of my comfort zone benefitted my
mental well-being – I became fond of encountering
various cultures and experiencing
life elsewhere in the world. Particularly, my
first solo trip to Europe did wonders for lessening
my anxiety.
I was nervous – I was travelling across
the ocean and away from familiarity of my
home, my culture, and my family and friends.
But the moment I got off the plane, my fears
began to fade and I became fascinated with a
culture so different than my own.
Travelling with anxiety is not as easy
for some, but it is not impossible. Giselle*,
a 19-year-old student, wanted to see the
world, and aimed to overcome the struggle
of travelling with anxiety and depression.
“Travelling with mental illness taught
me to be outside of my comfort zone and
rely on myself,” says Giselle. “(When I travel),
I can develop more self-confidence and independence,
(and see that) my mental illness
doesn’t define me.”
Giselle encourages people with mental
illness to travel.
“It is a way to push the limits of your
comfort zone while getting to know yourself
better, which is extremely important when
dealing with mental illness,” she said.
But there is a difference in travelling
for pleasure and studying abroad.
“I think nowadays, there’s a societal
pressure innocently placed on young people
growing up in the West to travel while you’re
young, a feeling only intensified by Instagram
and Snapchat,” says Ary Maharaj, current
grad student at the University of Toronto.
Maharaj experienced a depressive episode
while in Western Europe through the
Woodsworth College’s Summer Abroad program
in 2013.
“I tried to push myself to go out and
‘not waste’ the time that I earned through
hard work, but quickly realized that it wasn’t
bringing me any joy.”
Yoel Inbar, a psychology professor from
the University of Toronto, said taking semesters
in new places can bring life experiences
and personality development together, especially
when social relationships are a factor.
“There are some benefits to travelling,
especially for longer periods,” Inbar said.
Inbar referenced a 2013 study that
tracked university students that studied
abroad short term (one semester) and long
term (one academic year). It examined how
the experience influenced positive effects on
35

Minds Matter Magazine Volume III Issue I Culture & Identity
the “Big Five” personality traits - a psychology
theory that identifies five core traits that
define an individual.
The study found that travelling increased
the trait “Openness,” which includes
creativity, willingness to try new things and
abilities to tackle new challenges. It also
found that “Agreeableness,” which includes
empathy and interest in other people, increased.
Decreases were found in “Neuroticism,”
which includes anxiety, stress and
mood swings. These positive influences
increased the longer students were abroad.
As Inbar said, a major factor in the
positive influences was social interaction and
support. Social interactions during travelling
benefited both personality development
and mental well-being. Travel left a lasting
influence - daily life experiences after returning
were connected with the experiences
learned through their travels.
“Travelling can be a nerve wracking
experience,” Giselle concludes. “But it shows
you that mental illness can’t stop you from
achieving your goals.”
*Name has been changed to protect
privacy
Read below for some tips from MMM’s Ary
Maharaj for travelling with mental illness:
Find a bathroom
Sometimes with anxiety, social or general,
you need to know where the closest bathroom
is, a plan for where you’re going next,
and an escape route from every situation.
Many of us have gotten used to either having
data in our home country, or at least know
the locations of popular places to get free
Wifi (McDonalds, Starbucks, libraries).
In many countries, this safety net may
not be possible! Thankfully, even if we don’t
unlock our phone, many providers have
made it possible to download offline maps.
One such app is MAPS.ME, which I used in
Western Europe to download maps to my
phone beforehand. This particular app allows
me to keep my location services on without
using data, and also allows you to search the
area for key amenities like big tourist attractions,
restaurants, and bathrooms.
Don’t forget to care for yourself
My depressive episode while travelling Central
Europe was hard to navigate. It was my
first major trip away from home, I was by
myself, and although I was excited in the lead
up to going, I was lonely when I arrived.
I took two nights to stay in and do
what I’d normally do back home to self-care:
watch some YouTube, read a book, and drink
some tea. That, coupled with some breathing,
reflection of what I was going through in
the moment, and some daily gratitude (three
things about myself and three things about
my environment) really helped me forgive
myself for what I was going through. I then
kept up my gratitude exercise (and paired
it with daily pictures on my phone!) for the
rest of the trip, which I’m thankful for now.
The tip: know what your self-care routine is
back home and try your best to incorporate it
wherever you are!
36

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Note: We are not a service provider. If you are in crisis, here are some recommended resources:
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Theme Advisor: Dr. Jessica Dere
Fall 2017 Volume III Issue I: Culture & Identity
Minds Matter Magazine (MMM) is a community platform focusing on student perspectives so we can all think,
talk, and take action on matters related to mental health.
This issue is available online at: MindsMatterMagazine.com and was helped made possible with the financial
support of: The office of Business Development at the University of Toronto Scarborough and the Development
& Alumni Relations Office at the University of Toronto Scarborough.
Advisory Board: Liza Arnason, Toni De Mello, Jessica Dere, Jeffrey Dvorkin, Roger Francis, Andrew Hercules,
Nancy Johnston, Katie Kilroy-Marac, Maureen Murney, Perry Sheppard
Special Thanks: Andrew Arifuzzaman, Marah Ayad, Debbie Belinski, Don Campbell, Vishakha Chakravarti, Mark
Church, Kevin Connery, George Cree, Gerald Cupchik, Kristina Doyle, John Dias, Pat Dixon, Andrew Echevarria,
Allyssa Fernandez, Chris Garbutt, Manny Gitterman, Gray Graffam, Rick Halpern, Kevin Healey, Tomeo Ho, Antu
Hossain, Eva Huang, Anastacia Jiang, Sarah King, Elsa Kiosses, Danielle Klein, Kira Laurin, Samer Lazkani, David
Lucatch, Brian MacKinnon, Clark McRorie, Ary Maharaj, Josh Miller, Jenkin Mok, Josh Oliver, Jessica Orellana,
Moshiur Rahman, Simone Robinson, Nilab Safi, Susan Schellenberg, Samantha Seon, Kosan Shafaque, Gaurav
Sharma, Serena Soleimani, Taamannae Taabassum, Lynn Tucker, Kimberly Tull, Andrew Westoll, Andrew Young,
Karen Young, Muzhen Zhang, Hema Zbogar.
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