Bipolar Today

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Michael Schratter has been riding his bicycle around the world in order to raise awareness of mental illness. Mr. Schratter’s ride, called “Ride Don’t Hide”, has a fairly simple premise. He rides, lets people know the he is doing it to raise awareness of mental illness, and gets people talking about it. He is also raising money for the Canadian Mental Health Association, and has currently raised almost forty-thousand dollars. According to his website, found at www.ridedonthide.com, he recently did a stretch in Slovakia.

Commentary

This is a really great idea, and I hadn’t heard about his ride before. In many ways, his ride has similarities to the journey of another famous Canadian, Terry Fox. For those who don’t know, Terry Fox was a young man who had lost a leg to cancer and who sought to run across Canada to raise money for cancer research. By doing something very difficult for the sake of a cause, it brings attention to the cause which can help bring in financial support.

What is different about what Mr. Schratter is doing, though, is that he is not just raising money, but also fighting stigma. Part of (or a result of) stigma when it comes to mental health is our desire to constantly hide conditions for fear of being treated poorly. Mr. Schratter’s idea is that, the more people talk about mental health, the less stigma there will be around the illness.

I wish him luck in his trip. If you are interested in donating, information about how to do so can be found on his website.

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