The support system begins in the home.
Marie De Boyrie shared that message with about 70 people at Thursday's mental health luncheon at the Royal Canadian Legion on Front St.
The West Region Health and Safety Consultant is passionate about promoting awareness, saying she's experienced her own mental health struggles and helped her brother recover from schizophrenia.
"If we don't have strength, in terms of support there, than it's harder for us to face the other parts of life -- like work and our day-to-day interactions with other people and other relationships. If we feel supported, it's easier for us to face everything in life," says De Boyrie.
She says the more information we have, the less fear we have.
"If we feel like we have tools to help, then it makes it easier to engage and get involved and the person who's struggling really feels that support when people want to be there for them," says De Boyrie. "Even if you don't know what to do, just expressing that you care makes a world of difference."
De Boyrie says there is still a lot of fear and stigma attached to mental health.
"We don't want a label," says De Boyrie. "We don't want to be put inside a box and feel like we are less than someone else."
De Boyrie says it's really encouraging to see youth starting to speak up and says they are leading the way to help the rest of us realize it's ok to be who you are.
Proceeds from the second annual event will support Goodwill Industries and Sarnia-Lambton Rebound.