Speaking Notes for Jean-François Claude

Speaking Notes for
Jean-François Claude
Conférencier-bénévole, Partenaires pour la santé mentale
Founder, The Men's D.epression E.ducation N.etwork
At the Mergers Branch All-staff Meeting
Competition Bureau of Canada
Gatineau, Québec
Thursday, September 4, 2014
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COVER SLIDE – 1
Merci beaucoup, Ann [Wallwork, Competition Bureau’s 2014 GCWCC Champion and
Associate Deputy Commissioner, Mergers Branch].
Your warm welcome has certainly gone a long way in reducing the butterflies in my
stomach.
And my therapist passes along her thanks to all of you as well… for someone living with
General Anxiety Disorder, public speaking – especially in front of your peers – is a
GRRREAT form of “Exposure Therapy”… Or so she keeps telling me.
All I can tell you is that, I much prefer being here with you this morning… instead of on
her couch for the next hour.
Plus, you just saved me 200 bucks!
Alors, tel que mentionné, je me nomme Jean-François Claude. Je suis fonctionnaire au
fédéral comme vous, père de famille et un bénévole avec Partenaires pour la santé
mentale.
Il me fait grand plaisir de me joindre à vous ce matin pour une présentation au sujet de
la santé mentale en générale… et de notre organisme en particulier.
TODAY’S AGENDA – SLIDE 2
J’aimerais prendre un moment, brièvement, pour faire un survol de notre programme de
ce matin.
[REVIEW AGENDA]
But before we get into the heart of our conversation on mental health, I’d like to start off
with an audience-participation exercise.
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EXERCISE – SLIDE 3
If you’re a shy, quiet, introvert-type like me, you probably dread ice-breaker exercises. I
can see some of you visibly squirming in your seats now… others are purposefully
averting my gaze… and others still, trying to hide behind their colleagues, hoping I won’t
call on them.
Et si je vous disais : “Je vais circuler dans la pièce et choisir, au hasard, cinq personnes
de l’auditoire et vous demander de venir à l’avant de la salle avec moi.”
Can you feel the tension rising in the room… maybe just a little bit? Perhaps your heart
is racing? Little beads of sweat starting to form on your brow? A tightness in the
chest… a shallowness in your breathing? Your gut bacteria doing acrobatics in the pit of
your stomach?
Ce que vous ressentez, c’est de l’anxiété. Tout à fait normale. Et cela passera
rapidement une fois l’exercice terminé et que nous avons passé à la prochaine étape de
ma présentation.
So what you may be feeling is situational anxiety. Perfectly normal, part of the “flight or
fight” response that’s deeply ingrained in our primeval brains in response to perceived
external threats. Anxiety was critical to our survival as a species, forcing us to act or flee
in self-defence.
But whereas anxiety alerted our early human ancestors to predators like the sabretoothed tiger, today’s perceived threats are very different: fear of embarrassment… fear
of failure… fear of the unknown… fear of being singled out to come up front here with
me… fear of being called on unexpectedly, and unprepared, to brief your Deputy
Commissioner…
Si vous avez ressenti un peu d’anxiété au cours des dernières minutes – ou si vous
vous souvenez de la dernière fois que vous avez vécu une telle expérience – imaginez
pour un moment vivre ses sensations tout au long de la journée, la majorité de vos
jours… c’est ce que le trouble d’anxiété généralisé.
So imagine, for a moment, living those anxious feelings, and related physical
sensations, throughout a good chunk of your day – on most days – for as long as you
can remember.
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That’s only a small glimpse into life with General Anxiety Disorder. And that’s only one
of the mental health conditions I have personally struggled with, still live with, and am
still learning to manage today.
But more on that a little later.
Passons maintenant à l’exercice. N’inquiétez-vous pas, je ne pointerai personne du
doigt. Sentez-vous bien libre de participer selon votre niveau de confort.
I’m going to ask you to throw political correctness out the window for a moment. I know,
I know…that’s tough to ask of public servants. We do tend to measure our every word.
But I want you to give me examples of expressions, or labels, we hear regularly in
reference to people with mental illness. I’ll get the ball rolling, and you can jump in at
any time.
“Oh My God, she’s so OCD!”
En français : « Il est malade dans tête! »
À votre tour, maintenant… quelles expressions vous viennent à l’esprit?
Now, if I ask you to come up with similar expressions, in reference to someone with
cancer… or diabetes… anything come to mind?
No?
Why not?
Because that would be cruel, wouldn’t it? So why is it more common in our everyday
language to make such references to people living with mental illness?
That, my friends, is what we call stigma… And raising awareness of mental health
issues, educating people about mental illness, is but the first step in tackling stigma.
And that’s why organizations like Partners for Mental Health exist and are needed, now
more than ever.
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THE CAUSE – SLIDE 4
Alors, quel message pensez-vous je tentais de faire passer avec ce p’tit exercice sur les
stigmates? Mon point, c’est le suivant : la maladie mentale est l’un des derniers tabous
sociaux auquel nous devons nous affronter.
Mental illness really is one of the last social taboos of our time… and some might go as
far as saying it’s our generation’s last remaining civil rights battle.
Because it is largely unseen, rarely discussed and often shrouded in fear, it may very
well surprise you to learn that mental illness is more common than heart disease or
diabetes. In fact, according to the World Health Organization, by the year 2020,
depression alone will overtake heart disease as the number one cause of disability
burden in developed countries like Canada.
And even though 1 in 5 Canadians will experience a mental health issue this year, by all
accounts, mental illness receives less attention and less funding than other health
conditions.
Donc, je répète : un Canadien sur cinq – soit tout près de 7 million d’entre nous – vivra
un trouble de santé mentale au cours des 12 prochains mois. [CLICK]
En fait, 500 000 Canadiennes et Canadiens se sont absentés du travail aujourd’hui en
raison d’un trouble de santé mentale… [CLICK]
… et 44 pourcent des travailleurs et travailleuses admettent avoir vécu de tels troubles
de par le passé… MAIS, [CLICK]
…seulement 23 pour cent en discuteraient avec leur employeur.
These numbers clearly show the power of stigma… because stigma breeds shame,
fear, embarrassment… and stigma leads to silence, withdrawal and isolation.
Today alone, 11 Canadians will have reached such a low point in their life – such a
depth of loneliness and despair – that the only option they will feel that is left open to
them… is to take their own life.
Yes, you heard me right.
Eleven today, and by this time next year, roughly 4,000 Canadians will have died by
suicide.
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And suicide is the #1 cause of non-accidental death among young Canadians.
I'd like to take a brief moment, if I may, to point out that September 10 is World Suicide
Prevention Day. Every 40 seconds, someone in the world dies by suicide. Between the
moment you walked into this room for this morning's presentation, and the moment you
leave after my presentation is done, approximately 90 people worldwide will have died
by suicide. And roughly 70 of those will be men.
FACES OF MENTAL ILLNESS – SLIDE 5
Ces chiffres démontrent comment les troubles de santé mentale nous touchent tous…
et trop souvent, avec des conséquences dévastatrices.
Quand vous visualisez une personne vivant un trouble de santé mentale, vous imaginez
peut-être, à prime abord, des personnages comme ceux-ci : [CLICK]
But beyond stereotypes, the truth is, mental illness does not discriminate. It can – and
does – affect anyone.
It doesn’t care if you are rich or poor… male or female… unemployed, underemployed
or at the peak of your profession. [CLICK]
En d’autres mots, des plus vulnérables de notre société allant jusqu’à nos plus grandes
vedettes couronnés de succès, nous sommes tous touchés par les maladies mentales.
Bon nombre d’entre vous souffrez peut-être en silence… ou connaissez un collègue,
une amie ou un membre de votre famille atteinte d’un trouble de santé mentale.
OUT OF THE SHADOWS – SLIDE 6
Pour mettre fin à la stigmatisation, nous nous devons tous de prendre notre courage en
main et sortir de l’ombre. En partageant nos expériences, les personnes nouvellement
atteintes verront qu’ils ne sont pas seuls; qu’il y a de l’aide à leur disponibilité; qu’ils
sont appuyés; et qu’il y a espoir de soulager leurs tourments.
In early 2013, I was officially diagnosed with two co-existing mental health conditions:
General Anxiety Disorder... and a mood disorder called Dysthymia.
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And while the former is relatively self-explanatory, the latter term is much more obscure,
and has, in fact, since been renamed Persistent Depressive Disorder. In other words,
it’s a chronic form of “milder” depression.
A Double Depression, which is what I survived two years ago, is dysthymia coupled with
major depression. I don’t do things half-way…if I was going to be hit by depression, I
just had to make it a double!
But before I fully step out of the shadows and share the back story, I invite you to watch
a four-minute video I’ll cue up in a moment.
Plutôt que de vous énumérer les signes, symptômes et options de traitement pour les
troubles dépressifs, je vous invite à visionner le vidéo suivant, produit au nom de
l’Organisation mondiale de la santé :
W.H.O. BLACK DOG VIDEO – SLIDE 7
[CLICK ON IMAGE TO PLAY VIDEO]
TESTIMONIAL – SLIDE 8
Je n’aurais su mieux vous décrire ce que c’est de vivre avec un trouble dépressif. Mais
j'aimerais tout de même vous parler de mon expérience personnelle avec la dépression.
To set the stage for you, let me take you back a couple of years, to the week before
Father's Day 2012.
For the previous several months, I had been burning the candle at both ends, working
50, 60 and sometimes 70-hour work weeks.
My entire focus revolved around work... at the expense of a home life, with my wife and
children, then aged 7 and 4. And, I would later learn, at the expense of my own health.
Even when I was home... I wasn't there. I wasn't present. The blasted BlackBerry was
permanently fused to my hands, thumbs madly thumping the keys from 6 in the morning
to 10 or 11 o'clock at night. I'd sometimes navigate the hallways and stairs of our home,
in the middle of the night, by the light of that distinctive blue glow we've come to identify
with smartphone screens.
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And I loved it...I thrived on it...I lived for it.
En fait, ce n'était rien de nouveau. Je me suis toujours identifié de par les postes que
j'occupais, que ce soit au niveau professionnel ou de mon engagement communautaire.
Quand j'entreprenais un nouveau projet, je m'y lançais à 150 pour cent, à l'exclusion, ou
presque, de tout autre activité qui pouvait se passer autour de moi.
Mais la situation au travail ne pouvait persister : le stress, la fatigue, l'insomnie, les
maux de dos, les maux de tête, les mots d'estomac... tous s'imposaient et
s'accumulaient.
So picture me one night working at my desk. It's a Thursday night, 7:45 p.m. I
remember it like it was yesterday. The phone rings. The caller display lights up: it's my
home phone number.
Annoyed... frustrated... and irritated. That's how I felt, in that moment.
Because frankly, in what I now recognize as those dark days of crisis, I found everything
to be frustrating -- and everyone to be annoying and irritating -- especially my family
when they were interrupting my work.
Je réponds le téléphone. Mon épouse me dit : "Ton fils est en larmes, je ne viens pas à
bout de le consoler. Parles-lui, s'il vous plaît."
Elle met fiston au téléphone. J'essaie de mon mieux de lui expliquer pourquoi Papa est
toujours au travail.
But there's no explaining to a 4-year old why another night has gone by, and Daddy
wasn't there for dinner.
Another night Daddy wasn't there to give him his bath.
Another night Daddy isn't there for his bedtime stories... isn't there to tuck him in... isn't
there for goodnight hugs and kisses.
I hang up the phone...and have a complete breakdown, right there at my desk.
The very next morning, I'm on the phone with my doctor's office, looking to book an
appointment.
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"But sir," says the nurse, "we haven't seen you in 8 years! I'll have to check with the
doctor. I'm not sure if you're still a patient here... "
"Ma'am, I haven't seen any doctor in 8 years, so if I'm not his patient, I don't know
whose patient I might be. Please tell him I think I'm going through a burnout, and I need
to see him as soon as possible."
Je me présente chez le médecin le lundi suivant.
L'infirmière prends ma pression de sang -- non pas une fois, deux fois, mais à trois
reprises -- et je suis dans la zone rouge, puis pas à peu près.
Je rencontre ensuite le médecin. Au bout d'une quarantaine de minutes, il me dit :
"Tu sais, Jean-François, l'épuisement professionnel, ou 'burnout', n'est pas une
condition médicale. Tu vis en ce moment une dépression majeure et, je soupçonne, que
tu as un trouble d'humeur ou d'anxiété. Nous allons tout de même t'envoyer prendre
des tests pour éliminer autres possibilités."
At this point, I'm in a bit of a state of shock. I can't believe that: a) burnout is not a
medical condition; and b), that I have depression, with, and I quote: "an underlying,
unspecified mood disorder".
But the real kicker was when the doctor tells me this:
"It's 3:45 now. You are going back to the office, making arrangements to transfer your
files, and handing in your BlackBerry. I want you out of there by 5 p.m., and tell them
you don't know when you'll be back."
J'essaie de négocier avec mon médecin : "J'ai une semaine de fou! J'peux pas me
permettre de prendre congé! Tu me laisseras pas finir ma semaine?"
"Si tu tombes mort demain matin d'un attaque de cœur, tu la finiras pas ta semaine.
Voici ta note et nous nous reverrons dans deux semaines."
Deux mois et demi passeraient avant que je ne remette pied au bureau.
One of my neighbours joked that it must be nice to have gotten a note from Dr.
Summeroff.
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But let me assure you, when you are living in the throes of deep depression -- when
your whole identity is wrapped up in your professional work -- there is little joy in having
the summer off. I spent the next two and half months bouncing between appointments
with my doctor and an EAP counsellor. Not exactly my definition of a FUN summer!
Now, the first line of treatment for depression is anti-depressant medication. At first, I
refused to go on medication. I didn't want to believe I had depression.
If I'd had a broken arm, I wouldn't have hesitated to take pain killers.
But depression didn't make sense to me. Depression tends to run in families. I wasn't
aware of any family history. Again, that's stigma at work. Even within our own families,
we don't talk about mental illness. Shame breeds silence.
Au bout de quelques semaines, ma mère me demande comment j'allais. Je lui dit que je
suis frustré, je ne sens pas que je fais de progrès. Je lui dit que je songes à prendre des
médicaments. Elle semble surprise que je n'en prenne pas déjà.
"Tu sais que depuis 12 - 15 ans, je prends des p'tites pilules pour mes nerfs?"
So it turns out that, unbeknownst to me, my mother had been on medication for anxiety
and depression for almost 15 years. Then she confesses that my grandmother had
been briefly institutionalized in Brockville in the late 50s, where she underwent
electroshock therapy for a severe case of depression. Some of my aunts had also had
recurring depressive episodes.
Not to be outdone, my Dad then pipes in that two of his brothers had gone through
major depression.
I was in my doctor's office the very next week, demanding a prescription.
Within a matter of days, I was starting to feel better. But it was three weeks later that I
knew going on medication had been the best treatment decision I'd made -- when out of
the blue one day, my then 7-year old daughter came up to me, gave me a huge hug and
kiss, and said: "I love the new Daddy."
J'ai partagé avec vous cette histoire parce qu'elle démontre clairement comment la
stigmatisation des troubles de santé mentale mène inutilement à des délais de
traitement.
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Et comment de tels délais prolongent la souffrance de non seulement les personnes
atteintes, mais aussi de ceux et celles qui les entourent.
En septembre de cette année-là, j'ai effectué un retour progressif au travail,
commençant à trois jours semaines. J'étais de retour à temps plein par le début
novembre.
There's no doubt that I was genetically predisposed to major depression.
But the work environment in my former department was also a contributing factor
leading to my major depressive episode two years ago.
However, today I want to focus on two things I believe my employer did right, in terms of
supporting my return to work. And I will add to that some personal lessons learned from
my experience.
Premièrement, il est important de garder les lignes de communication ouvertes avec les
employés en congé de maladie. Ma directrice générale à l'époque communiquait avec
moi régulièrement pour s’informer de mon état de santé, sans toutefois que je ressente
une pression d'accélérer mon retour au travail.
Deuxièmement, à mon avis, l’employeur a été au-delà des attentes en matière
d’accommodations. Je ne suis pas retourné immédiatement dans mon poste substantif.
Plutôt, on m’a offert une affectation au sein d’une autre équipe, où le fardeau de
responsabilités et le stresse étaient beaucoup moindre.
LESSONS LEARNED – SLIDE 9
Now, I’m not going to stand here in front of you, and pretend to be the poster boy for
depression recovery. I’m still learning to manage it. But I will share with you a few things
I picked up along the way:
1. Don’t be afraid of medication. A mental illness is a flaw in brain chemistry, not
character. You are sick, not weak. Remember that the brain is like any other
organ in your body. If you would take insulin for diabetes, why would you not take
medication for a brain illness?
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2. Bien qu’ils soient à la base des traitements, les médicaments seuls sont
insuffisants pour traiter les troubles de santé mentale. Les recherches
démontrent que votre diète, l’exercice et le sommeil sont tout aussi importants.
Une simple petite marche de 20 à 30 minutes par jour suffit pour faire une
différence dans votre humeur.
3. Talk about it. I’m not asking you to stand up here, in front of your co-workers, and
declare that you’re struggling with a mental health issue. Take it one small step
at a time. For example, call you’re Employee Assistance Program. It’s
anonymous, it’s confidential, and it’s free. Or open up to a family member or a
close friend. But talk about it. You are one in five Canadians, you are not alone.
4. Connaissez vos limites. Communiquez-les. Respectez-les. Si vous ne respectez
pas vos propres limites, n’attendez-vous pas à ce qu’elles soient respectées par
les autres. Ce n’est pas une question d’égoïsme, mais une question de prendre
soin de soi d’abord.
5. And finally, I can’t emphasize enough the need to manage your stress. Whether
it’s through exercise, yoga or meditation, find what works for you. I took an 8week Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction program that I found to be helpful.
And the good news is, MBSR is covered by our benefits under psychological
services.
ADVOCACY IN RECOVERY – SLIDE 10
Ce qui m’a également beaucoup aider dans mon cheminement, c’est mon implication
dans la cause. J’ai participé à plusieurs activités visant à réduire la stigmatisation des
troubles de santé mentale, notamment la campagne Bell Cause pour la Cause et
Movember.
And I reached a point where I felt strong enough to get actively involved in promoting
and advocating for the cause of mental health. That’s why, for example, I created The
Men’s D.epression E.ducation N.etwork – TheMensDEN.ca – a portal to online
information focussed on depression in men.
The Men’s DEN was behind the City of Ottawa’s recent Proclamation of a Men’s Mental
Health Awareness Day on June 10 of this year.
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C’est également pourquoi je me suis impliqué avec Partenaires pour la santé mentale, à
titre de bénévole avec son équipe d’action communautaire, puis par la suite, comme
conférencier.
PFMH OVERVIEW – SLIDE 11
Partenaires pour la santé mentale est un organisme national à but non lucratif voué à
déclencher un mouvement social en vue de transformer nos perceptions, nos attitudes
et nos actions à l’égard de la santé mentale.
Notre but est d’aider les individus et les organismes à passer à l’action, ce qui donnera
lieu à des améliorations sans précédent dans les services de santé mentale, le
financement de la santé mentale et le bien-être mental de tous les Canadiens.
So Partners for Mental Health is a national registered charity that works to transform the
way Canadians of all ages think about – and act towards – people living with a mental
health problem or illness.
We support the Mental Health Strategy for Canada by mobilizing the public’s voice
around its specific recommendations. And we substantially grow the number of
Canadians interested in the cause through our campaigns, and by promoting the use of
existing quality mental health materials and programs – supporting all stakeholders.
PFMH STRATEGIC FOCUS – SLIDE 12
Quand il s’agit de santé mentale, il ne faut pas se le cacher, il y a énormément de
travail à faire.
Plutôt que de parsemer nos ressources un peu partout, Partenaires pour la santé
mentale a choisi de canaliser ses efforts vers la santé mentale des enfants et des
jeunes, et la santé mentale en milieu de travail.
Partners intentionally focuses its efforts where we believe we can do the greatest good,
to maximize our effectiveness and our impact.
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We have two flagship initiatives that are breaking new ground to rally individual
Canadians, organizations and governments, and to create change: our youth campaign,
called Right By You / Présent pour toi; and our workplace mental health campaign, Not
Myself Today.
NOT MYSELF TODAY SNEAK PEAK – SLIDE 13
La campagne “Je ne me reconnais pas” est basée sur une expérience personnelle
partagée : tout le monde a eu une journée où ils ne se sentaient pas tout à fait bien.
Nous utilisons ce sentiment commun pour connecter les gens à l’importance de la santé
mentale et à les informer au sujet des troubles de santé mentale.
The Not Myself Today campaign aims to grow the mental health movement in the
workplace, in order to engage both employers and employees in helping to create and
maintain mentally healthy workplaces. Companies and organizations like yours can use
the tools and resources provided to help reduce stigma and create more supportive
work environments.
I invite you to visit notmyselftoday.ca or jenemereconnaispas.ca for more information
on our workplace mental health campaign or to download a sneak-peak toolkit.
WHY DONATE TO PFMH (FRENCH)? – SLIDE 14
Alors que vous vous préparez à lancer votre Campagne de charité en milieu de travail
du gouvernement du Canada, je vous invite à prendre action pour la santé mentale et
faire un don à Partenaires. Notre organisme ne reçoit aucun financement
gouvernemental.
Votre générosité nous aidera à prendre action et à accélérer notre mouvement en
appuyant les initiatives que vous voyez à l’écran.
WHY DONATE TO PFMH – SLIDE 15
For all the reasons you see up on the screen, when you take the time to fill out your
GCWCC form this year, I invite you to take action for mental health. Please consider
making a donation to Partners to help accelerate our movement.
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Your generosity is critical to help us transform how Canadians think about, act towards
and support mental health, and people living with mental illness.
RIGHT BY YOU PSA – SLIDE 16
Before opening up the floor to your questions, I would like to conclude this morning’s
presentation by inviting you to watch a 30-second video. This public service
announcement, produced by Partners for Mental Health, was made possible thanks to
the generous support of donors like yourselves. It received international acclaim,
winning the 2013 Best Non-profit DoGooder Video award, presented by See3
Communications and YouTube.
[CLICK ON IMAGE TO PLAY PSA]
PFMH THANK YOU / CONTACT – SLIDE 17
[Remercier l’auditoire.]
[Open floor to Q&A Session]
- 30 -
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www.Twitter.com/TheMensDEN_ca
www.Twitter.com/PartnersForMH
www.Twitter.com/PartenairesPLSM
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www.Facebook.com/TheMensDENCanada
www.Facebook.com/PartnersForMH