Ritu Bhasin​'s Story:

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I actively started caring for my mental health when I was in third year university, at around 20 years old. I was studying at the University of Toronto and trying to get into law school. I was under tremendous pressure to be accepted into the program, and I was also experiencing family-related stress. That was the first time I sought the support of a therapist, and I haven’t looked back. I’ve had pockets of therapy throughout the last 22 years, and I credit this work (along with other forms of caring for my mental health—like yoga, meditation, mindfulness, self-reflection, exercise, eating well, and more) with my ability to effectively manage the stresses in my life.

In South Asian cultures, we struggle to deal with mental health effectively—there is still a stigma attached to it, and we don’t do a great job of talking about it as a community. I care deeply about interrupting this stigma, both as a South Asian woman and as an inclusion professional. I see how pronounced this stigma is in my own community, and I want us to do a better job of talking about mental health and addiction in ALL communities. This was one of the main reasons that my firm launched our fund at CAMH, the bhasin consulting inc. Fund for Inclusion in Mental Health, which supports research projects that deal with mental health in racialized communities. This year, funding was awarded to a project that examines the barriers South Asian women face in receiving mental health support. I’m so proud to be part of this work and part of advancing the conversation. Let’s keep talking about it!