'Ride don't hide': Cycling event for mental health in Sudbury

Cyclists from across the countrywill be riding their bikes with a purpose this Sunday.

Ride Don't Hide is meant to help end the stigma around mental illness and raise money for the Canadian Mental Health Association.

One of the volunteers at the Sudbury event will be Kari Gerhard.

She is a board member with the Canadian Mental Health Association for Sudbury-Manitoulin. Shealso has been diagnosedwith depression.

She saidthe first time she knew something was wrong was in her early twenties,while she was in university.

At that time Gerhard found it difficult to get up and get going, and felt like shedidn't have anyenergy.

"I had a lot of jobs, education and things going on andIjustthought, 'I'm just tired' and maybe being lazy," Gerhard said.

It was years later that she experienced a panic attack on her way to work.

A family doctorsuggested she takeanti-depressants.

Gerhard saidshe started feeling better after she started taking that medication.

Get people talking about mental illness

Ride Don't Hide is achance to get families out and havepeople talk about mental illness.

Gerhard saidtalking about mental illnessshouldn't be taboo.

She recalledshenever really felt any stigma whentalking about her depression.

She saidshe doesn't have a problem telling her story ortalking about her own mental health situation.

In fact, she was recently diagnosed withcancer andfinds it strange that people don't mind talking to her aboutcancer, yet theywon't talk about her depression.

People don't always know what to say

"As somebody whowas depressed, people don't want to talk to you and I don't think it's always a stigma situation. People don't know what to say. They don't want to push. You might not respond well."

She saidtalking aboutdepressionorother mental illnessesdoesn't suggest fragility.

Gerhard saidyounger people are much more self-aware and don't have a problemopenly discussing mental illness.

Second year for Sudbury event

This will be the second year Sudbury is participating in the cycling event.

Itstarted five years ago in British Columbia.

Around 8,000 cyclists will be taking part in the event in 29 communities acrossthe country.

The local Ride Don't Hide is set for Sunday from 9 a.m to 1 p.m. starting from Adanac Skill Hill onBeatrice Crescent.

There is a sixkilometre family-friendly route and a 22kilometre avid rider route.

The Canadian Mental Health Association is hoping to raise$1.5 million nationally.

The CMHCsaidone in five, or approximately seven million Canadians, experience a mental health problem or illness.

Yet, onlyone-third will seek help.

Gerhard saidthe rideis open to cyclists of all ages and skill levels.

Morning North7:30Ride Don't Hide - campaign to end stigma around mental illness

Cyclists from across the country will ride to raise money for the Canadian Mental Health Association with the hope of ending stigma around mental illness. We spoke with Kari Gerhard, a volunteer at the Sudbury event who's been diagnosed with depression.