'Ride don't hide': Cycling event for mental health in Sudbury
Annual ride aims to increase awareness - and stop the stigma- surrounding mental illness.
Cyclists from across the country will be riding their bikes with a purpose this Sunday.
Ride Don't Hide is meant to help end the stigma around mental illness and raise money for the Canadian Mental Health Association.
One of the volunteers at the Sudbury event will be Kari Gerhard.
She is a board member with the Canadian Mental Health Association for Sudbury-Manitoulin. She also has been diagnosed with depression.
She said the first time she knew something was wrong was in her early twenties, while she was in university.
At that time Gerhard found it difficult to get up and get going, and felt like she didn't have any energy.
"I had a lot of jobs, education and things going on and I just thought, 'I'm just tired' and maybe being lazy," Gerhard said.
It was years later that she experienced a panic attack on her way to work.
A family doctor suggested she take anti-depressants.
Gerhard said she started feeling better after she started taking that medication.
Get people talking about mental illness
Ride Don't Hide is a chance to get families out and have people talk about mental illness.
Gerhard said talking about mental illness shouldn't be taboo.
She recalled she never really felt any stigma when talking about her depression.
She said she doesn't have a problem telling her story or talking about her own mental health situation.
In fact, she was recently diagnosed with cancer and finds it strange that people don't mind talking to her about cancer, yet they won't talk about her depression.
People don't always know what to say
"As somebody who was depressed, people don't want to talk to you and I don't think it's always a stigma situation. People don't know what to say. They don't want to push. You might not respond well."
She said talking about depression or other mental illnesses doesn't suggest fragility.
Gerhard said younger people are much more self-aware and don't have a problem openly discussing mental illness.
Second year for Sudbury event
This will be the second year Sudbury is participating in the cycling event.
It started five years ago in British Columbia.
Around 8,000 cyclists will be taking part in the event in 29 communities across the country.
The local Ride Don't Hide is set for Sunday from 9 a.m to 1 p.m. starting from Adanac Skill Hill on Beatrice Crescent.
There is a six kilometre family-friendly route and a 22 kilometre avid rider route.
The Canadian Mental Health Association is hoping to raise $1.5 million nationally.
The CMHC said one in five, or approximately seven million Canadians, experience a mental health problem or illness.
Yet, only one-third will seek help.
Gerhard said the ride is open to cyclists of all ages and skill levels.
With files from Jan Lakes. Packaged by Angela Gemmill