'I was so deep in depression': northern Ontario woman speaks out during National Mental Health Week

Faith Greco · CBC News

· Posted: May 09, 2025 6:06 AM EDT | Last Updated: 3 minutes ago

WARNING: This communicative contains mentions of suicide. 

Kayla Ramsay was astir 13 years aged erstwhile she felt thing was wrong.

After researching her symptoms online, the Sudbury pistillate realized she was struggling with depression. 

But adjacent with that knowledge, she felt frightened to archer her parents, some of whom had their ain intelligence wellness challenges.

"I was ashamed. I thought, I shouldn't beryllium feeling this way. My beingness isn't that bad. So wherefore bash I consciousness this bad?" Ramsay said.

Now 29, she is reflecting on her experiences arsenic Canadians people Mental Health Week, an yearly run tally by the Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA).

"I was conscionable truthful debased each of the time, I could not bash anything. I was truthful heavy successful slump that I knew this was a problem," Ramsay said. 

She said her archetypal measurement toward getting assistance came successful precocious schoolhouse erstwhile she spoke to a guidance counsellor.

"She was truthful lovely, but she wasn't truly equipped to woody with intelligence wellness issues," said Ramsay.

"So erstwhile I was ready, I went to my household doc and told her, and that's erstwhile I got medicated for the archetypal time. I was 16 and I've been disconnected and connected medicine arsenic needed, beauteous overmuch ever since."

Later, portion attending university, Ramsay said the field counselling services besides fell short.

More recently, she tried getting a referral to a psychiatrist, reasoning her household doc couldn't supply afloat intelligence wellness enactment owed to clip constraints.

But she says aft the referral, she lone had 1 speech with the psychiatrist, was fixed different medicine and referred backmost to her household doctor.

"It's not ever casual to find those supports and services, particularly ones that are successful your terms range, oregon possibly you can't hold for those services," she said.

Personal nonaccomplishment and a way forward

When Ramsay was 21, her begetter died by suicide. She said helium had antecedently made an effort and was concisely hospitalized astatine Kirkwood Place, a intelligence wellness installation successful Sudbury.

"He perfectly hated it. Did not privation to spell back, did not entree immoderate different services," she said. "I deliberation helium got to that constituent wherever helium conscionable felt similar determination was thing available, determination was thing else, determination was nary different options."

Ramsay said navigating her ain intelligence wellness has not been a consecutive line. 

"It's been a batch of ups and downs successful my betterment journey," she said.

She present works arsenic a communications serviceman with the Northern Initiative for Social Action (NISA), a peer-run enactment offering advocacy, assemblage programs, and resources to enactment radical surviving with intelligence unwellness successful Sudbury.

"There's perfectly thing to beryllium ashamed of if you are having a intelligence wellness issue, occupation oregon challenge," Ramsay said. 

"If you interruption your arm, you spell to the ER, you spell spot a doctor. Mental wellness is nary different."

Chris Coulombe, a intelligence wellness pedagogue with CMHA's Sudbury/Manitoulin branch, said this year's intelligence wellness week campaign is focused connected "unmasking."

"I deliberation each of america person astir apt enactment a disguise connected astatine 1 constituent successful our lives," helium said. "Maybe we were hiding, oregon possibly determination were immoderate emotions oregon immoderate symptoms that we were looking to suppress."

The Sudbury/Manitoulin branch is marking the week with section initiatives specified arsenic lighting up the Sudbury h2o operation successful greenish — the planetary colour for intelligence wellness — on with escaped workshops, crafts, and java fundraisers.

"We truly privation to woody with that labelling that happens successful our community," helium said. "And truly absorption connected dignity and connected respecting individuals. Because everyone is someone."

Coulombe said much enactment is needed to support services moving successful bluish Ontario, and to forestall the devastating consequences of untreated intelligence illness.

"It's truthful important for america to heighten our capableness arsenic a assemblage to beryllium determination for others," helium said. "We person the extremity of ending stigma, but successful reality… there's a batch of effort required to bash that."

He said stigma tin pb to bias, stereotypes and favoritism and that the nonaccomplishment to talk openly oregon entree assistance tin person broader societal consequences.

"We often speech astir the risks of institutionalization, incarceration oregon being hospitalized… But the world is, there's besides the hazard of death," Coulombe said.

"It's not a motion of weakness to inquire for help."

If you oregon idiosyncratic you cognize is struggling, here's wherever to get help:

• Canada's Suicide Crisis Helpline: Call oregon substance 988.

• Kids Help Phone: 1-800-668-6868. Text 686868. Live chat counselling on the website.

• Canadian Association for Suicide Prevention: Find a 24-hour situation centre.

• This usher from the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health outlines however to speech astir termination with idiosyncratic you're disquieted about.