'Unsafe in my own mind': Edmonton app offers outlet for people seeking mental health support
For people who are struggling with their mental health, especially during the pandemic, it's important to recognize you’re not alone.
And a made-in-Edmonton app has a mission to increase accessibility to helpful tools and resources for those who need it.
In her early 20s, Sophie Gray, the founder of DiveThru, was a successful social media entrepreneur. She amassed more than 500,000 followers selling healthy living programs online.
But, overtime her own mental illness manifested into an eating disorder, self harm and an attempted suicide.
“I kind of swept my mental health problems under the rug,” she explained. “I was fine. Everything was fine.”
However, after a series of panic attacks derailed a routine trip back to Edmonton from New York, she realized it was time to take a step back.
“I could no longer pretend I was fine when I wasn’t,” she said. "I needed to start taking care of my mental health.”
“I felt like someone could place their hand on my head and I would have crumbled. I just felt so mentally vulnerable and so unsafe in my own mind.”
When Gray went searching for help, she told CTV News Edmonton, she felt “frustrated” with the lack of tools available. She wanted a resource that spoke the way she did, in a “blunt” manner and that’s how DiveThru came to be.
“We don’t want to make fun of mental health, but we do want to take it seriously while also just recognizing this is something we’re all going through,” she said.
“It’s difficult, let’s not pretend, let’s not sprinkle in toxic positivity and let’s get really real with it in a way that’s easily understood and not gate kept by really sophisticated academic language.”
'ONGOING COMMITMENT TO YOURSELF'
The app is run by a team of therapists and health professionals offering interactive tools and courses to help users manage their mental health.
Gray said it’s not meant to replace therapy but acknowledges that access, time and cost can be an issue for people seeking help.
“Managing your mental health isn’t something you do in a period of your life, it's an ongoing commitment to yourself,” she said.
“We really have to give each other grace in our experiences because everybody is going to process things differently.”
Since launching the app Gray said they’ve grown 10 fold in the last year and currently have 2.6 million young people ranging in age from 18 to 35 using their platforms per month.
Gray said having access to support is a “right not a luxury,” and that’s why 90 per cent of the resources and courses offered are free.
“Whatever you’re going through is valid,” she said. “Getting support for your mental health is actually a really strong thing to do and it’s not a sign of weakness.”
'FEAR WILL DISSIPATE'
Simone Saunders is one of DiveThru’s therapists and her Calgary-based practice focuses on racial and trauma-informed support.
“It can be really difficult for racialized individuals to speak about their mental health because there’s already stereotypes in place and mental health is already stigmatized in a lot of communities,” Saunders said, adding that breaking stigma is a big part of what the team focuses on.
“The pandemic has helped with understanding mental health issues and really bringing awareness to the fact that everybody struggles with mental health in some capacity.”
Saunders said the younger generation tends to me more open to therapy and in turn more aware.
“That lends to being able to spread that information to their family and the older generations,” she added.
For anyone seeking support, Saunders recommends taking advantage of consultations when speaking with healthcare professionals.
“You don’t have to pick the first therapist,” she explained.
“Build a relationship with a therapist that you feel like is a good fit and some of that fear will dissipate as you allow that process to happen.”
For more information on DiveThru, click here.
With files from CTV News Edmonton’s Carlyle Fiset
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'State or state-sponsored actor' believed to be behind B.C. government hacks
The head of British Columbia’s civil service has revealed that a “state or state-sponsored actor” is behind multiple cyber-security incidents against provincial government networks.
Which Canadian cities have the highest and lowest grocery prices
Where you live plays a big factor in what you pay at the grocery store. And while it's no secret the same item may have a different price depending on the store, city or province, we wanted to see just how big the differences are, and why.
Swarm of 20,000 bees gather around woman’s car west of Toronto
A swarm of roughly 20,000 bees gathered around a woman’s car in the parking lot of Burlington Centre.
More than half the Canadians once detained in Syrian camps for suspected ISIS family members have returned home
A total of 29 Canadians have been freed from detention camps in northeast Syria and brought back to Canada since human rights advocates began lobbying for their release years ago.
Rare severe solar storm Friday could bring spectacular aurora light show across Canada
A rare and severe solar storm is expected to bring spectacular displays of the northern lights, also known as aurora borealis, across much of Canada and parts of the United States on Friday night.
Canada abstains from Palestinian UN membership vote but supports two-state solution
Canada was one of 25 countries that abstained from a United Nations vote on Palestinian membership that passed with overwhelming support on Friday.
Mother assaulted by stranger while breastfeeding baby in her car: Vancouver police
A person was arrested in East Vancouver Thursday after allegedly entering a car while a mother was breastfeeding her four-month-old boy.
'I may have some nightmares:' Man survives being bitten by 2 sharks in Bahamas
A man who was bitten by two sharks in the Bahamas said Thursday he's 'thankful that I'm here' while sharing his story of survival.
Amish youth experience a rite of passage called Rumspringa. It’s not what you might think
The idea of “Rumspringa” has a specific spot in the American imagination. A rite of passage for young people in some Amish communities, Rumspringa is seen by most outsiders as a wild time away from strict Amish rules, when teenagers can experiment with the modern vices of the world.