Social media helps fight anti-social ideas
'I need to let people know that they're not alone'
Robin Grant
Northern News Services
Wednesday, July 27, 2016
SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
One woman is sharing her story about depression, one social media platform at a time.
When 22-year-old Jessy-Anne Jimenez experienced serious depression and contemplated suicide five years ago, she decided to take her recovery into her own hands.
Besides seeking help from family, people she trusted and briefly seeing a therapist, Jimenez said she healed most by talking about her experience on the radio and via social media platforms like Facebook and YouTube.
"I (needed) to talk about my struggles and what I've been through more publicly to see if I could help people," she said.
Jimenez first took to Facebook where, through status updates, she connected with youth who had similar experiences.
"I got tons of messages that said, 'I could totally relate,' and stuff like that and I guess that is what drove me to keep making Facebook (updates) and keep doing everything through media."
Aside from Facebook and YouTube, Jimenez said she also uses Snapchat and Instagram.
"I need to let people know that they're not alone because I read articles about people going through depression and just knowing that you are not alone just really helped me," she said.
"Media has really helped me grow and just to get my story out there."
Now, as a Northern speaker with the Department of Health and Social Services' Talking About Mental Illness program, Jimenez visits Yellowknife schools to talk to youth about her struggle with mental illness.
In 2014, she was one of the key speakers when six-time Olympian Clara Hughes went to Sir John Franklin High School and St. Patrick High School as part of her campaign to remove the stigma surrounding mental illness and promote discussion.
In her YouTube videos, Jimenez talks about the difficulty of coming out about depression and suicide.
She tells her story of how she became depressed when her parents divorced.
"I think the one big thing that I recently learned is forgiveness," she said.
"I do talk to my dad now ... and to really heal, for me, is to talk to him. So I do have a relationship with him and I think that it was an important step for me to really get some closure.
"We might not have the same relationship. But we do have some kind of relationship - and that is all I can ask for."
But the message Jimenez wants to convey most to youth is not to give up.
"For people who are struggling to get help I say, 'Please fight for yourself.' Even if you have one bad experience with a counselor or a medication, please keep trying another medication or another counselor or find your own way, because you'll definitely find what helps for you ... everyone's different."
She added, "A lot of people get shut down for being open about being mentally ill, but I always say please fight for yourself, because you are definitely worth fighting for. And that's what I've learned."
Going forward, Jimenez plans to travel around the Northwest Territories to talk to youth because, according to a recent NWT Health Status report, the suicide rate is about double the national average and higher in communities outside Yellowknife.
"I'm probably going to e-mail high schools because I feel like teenagers go through so much in life, like so many changes, like hormones and stuff.
"So I feel like high school would be the place for me to say my story."
