That's right.
I'll give you the example of my 12-year-old son.
He came to me one day, and he said, “Mom, I'm going to kill myself.” Having the experience I have, I asked him the appropriate questions.
There's the way of doing it and there's the thought. A lot of times people will say suicide is the end all and be all, but there is suicide ideation.
So, I asked the appropriate questions and I said, “Okay buddy, you have a plan. You know how you're going to do it.” Off we went to the hospital. Of course, that's when you need the special care. That's when you need the specialists to come in. I'm not afraid to disclose that because he is now a champion. He is now out in the school telling his story, that it's okay not to be okay all the time, and that there is help out there.
It's important, and it's like you said. The younger generation are more free to tell you how they feel, how they're thinking. Oftentimes, I ask my son what his heart says, how he is feeling. We often negate our feelings and hide them. What happens is that we are scared to come out and say what is wrong. The biggest factor is stigma.
Only 13.9% of Canadians talk to their health care professional about their mental health. Stigma is the number one reason, if not the largest reason people don't seek professional help. What would you say are the worries of stigma? Stigma is a very large umbrella with many factors underneath it, but why would stigma be a factor for somebody with a mental illness?