Austin Holonics speaks about mental health stigma and available resources for help
A non-profit organisation that was founded in 1982 by families and friends of people with schizophrenia continues to give care to those affected by psychosis-related mental illness.
The Schizophrenia Society of Saskatchewan (SSS) provides education to help to reduce stigma surrounding disorders like schizophrenia, depression, anxiety, and bipolar disorder. Regina Partnership program co-ordinator Austin Holonics spoke to the Carillon about tackling mental health, the organization’s mission, and available support programs.
The road to destigmatize
While schizophrenia might be in the organization’s name, Holonics noted that they do not exclusively cater to it. Having been with SSS for about three years and as a mental health advocate, he has seen fear become the biggest stigma that affected groups face.
“The general public doesn’t necessarily have all the information behind somebody who is going through an episode of psychosis,” said Holonics. “They immediately jump to drugs, [when] that’s not necessarily the case.”
He said that the media often pushes and contributes to the fear-based narrative behind different mental illnesses.
“[They] see those negative eye-catching stories and apply it to every situation, when in reality, mental illness violence only accounts for about 3 per cent of all violent acts.”
Holonics says that there is also a stigma surrounding the diagnosis of psychosis related disorders. The expectation that they will be perceived differently can make an individual hesitant to get their diagnosis.
“With the younger generations, [like] teenagers, who are very socially aware of how others view them, they forget that diagnosis is a way to get treatment, [and] they assume it’s only just a label,” he said.
Despite the misconceptions that are still around, Holonics has noticed the improvement of education around psychosis related disorders.
“When I was in high school […] nobody talked about it but now they have different classes, groups, and guidance counselors for it.”
Barriers to care
For Holonics, lack of specific understanding of mental illness from a professional medical standpoint is a major barrier.
“Me and you could experience the exact same traumatic event. I could be depressed for the rest of my life and you could be happier than ever,” he said. “The biggest barrier is [an] overall understanding of who is more susceptible to different mental illnesses.”
There is also the case of viewing mental health and mental disorders differently because of religion or culture.
“Those who are newcomers to Canada might not feel that sense of community right off the bat. It might take them a while to get oriented with all of the programs and services [here].”
Additionally, affected groups in rural communities struggle to receive care because of the lack of facilities near their location. Holonics notes that the SSS offers educational courses like the Family Recovery Journey and Your Recovery Journey, both available online. This helps extend their services outside of Regina and Saskatoon.
Family members can feel unequipped to give care to themselves and their loved ones. Having minimal knowledge can also affect the mental health of those who are in a caregiver position.
‘’I can speak from personal experience, if you’re a caregiver and you don’t know the resources to deal with a crisis, you’re left in the mud,” said Holonics. “A family member who doesn’t have support themselves can turn into that individual, too. Without practicing self-care, how are you going to help somebody else in a state of crisis?”
[They] see those negative eye-catching stories and apply it to every situation, when in reality, mental illness violence only accounts for about 3 per cent of all violent acts.” – Austin Holonics, Regina partnership program co-ordinator, SSS
Support groups & programs to look out for
The programs offered by the SSS are free to the community and available province-wide. This includes the Family Recovery Journey program, where families and caregivers meet once a week for two hours and learn how to better face the impact of psychosis on their lives.
In this five session course, they cover topics like an overview of psychosis and schizophrenia, living with it, how to manage crises, lived experience and recovery, and building strengths and going forward.
The Your Recovery Journey based on Wellness Recovery Action Plan (WRAP) is led by those with lived experience of mental illness. This five session course focuses on giving hope, planning for tools for recovery, and empowering individuals to be able to meet their personal goals.
They also host a drop-in peer support group that meets on the first Wednesday of every month from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. and is held at their office on 1311 Saskatchewan Drive. Additionally, there is the family support group that meets on Zoom on the second Tuesday of every month from 7 to 8 p.m. Interested people can also call on (306) 584-0755 for more information.
The partnership program
Holonics put emphasis on their partnership program which is a one hour mental health awareness presentation.
“Two of the speakers are either a person with lived experience or a family member. [They] share their journeys from childhood to diagnosis to recovery or wellness,” he said. “Then, the mental health advocate speaker talks about common and uncommon mental illnesses, symptoms, wellness tools, community resources and how to access them.”
After covering stigmas and myths, there is an auditory hallucination activity followed by a question and answer period.
Holonics says that it isn’t uncommon for someone from the recovery journey course to be referred as a speaker for the partnership program. He has heard that talking about their experience can become a part of their recovery as well.
“The courage to do that helps other people feel like they’re less alone, so I get a lot of speakers telling me it brings them so much joy and a sense of doing something positive for the community,” said Holonics. To book a partnership program presentation, contact austin@schizophrenia.sk.ca
Holonics is amongst mental health advocates in the SSS continuously working on destigmatizing mental health. The organization has created supportive spaces for those affected by psychosis-related mental illness who are on their road to recovery and for family members in need of the necessary knowledge for giving proper care.
On March 21, the SSS is hosting the Champions for Mental Health fundraiser at the Delta Hotels Regina. Ty Hunter, the lead singer from Saskatchewan’s own country band, Hunter Brothers, will be in attendance as the keynote speaker.
