UPEI Mental Health Week hears personal stories

The University of Prince Edward Island wrapped up its mental health week with a commitment to continueworking to support students facing the stress of school life.

Student Kamya Rilling plans to graduate from UPEI next year but has not had an easy time at university.

"I've experienced anxiety, stress. I've experienced motor difficulties, relationship difficulties, pretty much everything you could think of," she said.

Rillingshared her story as mental health week atUPEIfinished up on Friday.

"When I was 16, I was a victim of a big car crash. I suffered an internal brain bleed and a traumatic brain injury," she said. "I learned a lot from my experiences and I feel like I'm at a point where I can teach other people where I learned."

Along with learning to walk again, she had to deal with mental health issues as well.

Anne Bartlett is co-chair ofUPEIMental Health Week 2015. She says it'sinspirational to hear stories with the goal ofendingstigma and increasingunderstanding.

"The resilience that they showed from being able to speak about their childhood and through going through a diagnosis or losing a loved one," she said.

"For others that are sitting in the audience that may be going through that themselves or may have a loved one going through that, to know that there is hope and that you can have a very productive life if you have a mental illness."

What started as stories has now developed into conversations among students and staff according to student Joel Hansen.

"I believe coming to an event like this where individuals are sharing their own stories really helps people feel less isolated and alienated [about]their own struggles," he said.

Nursing student Justeann Hansen says it's important to speak out.

"I have quite a few friends who suffer from mental illness, so having both a nursing background and seeing the importance of mental health and then also personal experience with it, I just think that it's super important," she said.

Counselling services are available at the university through the studentaffairs office, online and by phone.