Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to inform the House and all Canadians that October 4 to October 10, 1998 is Mental Illness Awareness Week.
This public education campaign was launched in 1992 to de-stigmatize mental illness. It is spearheaded by the Canadian Psychiatric Association in partnership with the Depression and Manic Depression Association of Canada, the Schizophrenia Society of Canada, the Canadian Mental Health Association and the National Network for Mental Health.
Serious mental illnesses such as major depression involve substantial personal and socioeconomic costs.
These diseases can have disastrous effects on those affected, as well as on their relatives and friends.
Mental Illness Awareness Week provides an opportunity for Canadians to increase awareness and understanding of mental illness and to overcome the stigma too often faced by persons with mental illness.
I ask the House to join me in saluting the efforts of the organizers of this event and lend support to this important initiative.