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By Ian Gustafson

May 5-11

Mental Health Week 2025 all about breaking down the stigma

May 7, 2025 | 10:12 AM

The 74th annual Mental Health Week has arrived.

It is recognized across the nation in the first week of May to promote and celebrate awareness about mental health.

This year, the week takes part from May 5 to 11 and the theme from the Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) is Unmasking Mental Health.

Giselle Crawford, executive director of CMHA Central Alberta, said this year’s theme is all about reducing the stigma of mental health, which is still very much a big problem.

“People feel that they have to hide if they’re struggling with mental health, anxiety, depression, or coping with stress,” she said. “We just want to remove that stigma and make it okay to talk about and make it okay for people to seek help.”

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Crawford added, they want to normalize that a lot of people go through these struggles and that they’re every day people.

“There’s a lot of misconceptions of what mental health looks like and who is struggling with it. We want to remove those barriers and allow people to tell their stories,” she said.

It’s important for people to know help is out there. That’s the important first step, according to Crawford, followed by not being afraid to seek help.

At the central Alberta region at CMHA they have a wide selection of peer support courses that the public can sign up for. This is often a first step for many people who are struggling because they’re not organized by professionals but rather people who’ve received additional training and have lived experience. Participants would receive advice from people who’ve overcome their own mental health struggles.

“Despite how long we’ve done this, there still seems to be that stigma and that fear to admit they have a mental health concern or that they’re struggling in some way,” Crawford said.

“It’s important to keep that reminder and not let people lose sight that there’s help out there. Year-after-year we never know what kind of impact this reminder will have on people.”

The CMHA central Alberta location has numerous programs to help people with mental health including housing programs for people who are experiencing chronic homelessness related to mental health. They have have peer support classes, one-on-one peer support sessions, and support for those impacted by a brain injury.

For more information on mental health week, visit the Canadian Mental Health Association website.