Women's Mental Health: The Toronto Tamil Population
Women's Mental Health: The Toronto Tamil Population
This past weekend I had the pleasure of supporting Tamil Health Association's current study, "Exploring the Mental Health of Women in the Canadian Tamil Diaspora." THA is conducting focus groups for Tamil women aged 18-80 and are interested in understanding the challenges that Tamil women face around mental health, comfortability in discussing mental health, and access to services. In an effort to reduce stigma and to further understand the factors that contribute to our wellness, THA's researchers are picking the brains of Tamil women of all ages to get a closer look of what's happening within the population. The hope is that, while promoting dialogue, we can also become aware of the personal and systemic barriers that exist, and also design a health promotion program to enhance our understanding of mental health and use of services that are available.
On a warm September morning, eleven Tamil women in their late 20s and early 30s gathered 'round a round table, unsure as to how the day's events would unfold. A scheduled two-hour discussion turned into an eye-opening conversation about past experiences, current functioning, and expectations of the future. While we passed around a box of Timbits and sipped on our coffees, each of these women gave us an insight of what it's like to be a Tamil woman growing up in the hush-hush world of mental health. Although each story was different, there were great similarities in the undertones of each experience. Despite difference in context, characters, strategies, and outcomes, these women caught themselves relating to each other. We all recognized that we were in similar boats.
I ran out of fingers counting the number of times I caught myself saying, "Oh my gosh, I felt that way too" or "Wow, I'm not the only one who thinks that" and it was in this dialogue that helped me recognize that if I'm feeling a type of way, then so are others. My friends, sister, cousins, mom, aunts, they have probably all felt or thought the same way I did, but I would never know because mental health is not ever talked about. This focus group opened my eyes to the idea that we are genuinely not alone in our feelings.
If you would like your own AHA moment and would like to participate in this study, please shoot an e-mail to info@tamilhealth.ca or leave THA a message on Facebook. Need more incentive to join in? Each participant receives a 25$ Walmart gift card for their time! For further information, you can check them out at this link here