Hope is something that we can't taste, smell, touch or hear. It is something that we can feel and it is something that we can give others. It is the intense feeling that things will turn out all right, that there is a light in the darkness. Hope is the feeling of comfort in the face of struggle and adversity. Some would say that when you lose hope you lose everything. The value of hope is immeasurable and the lack of hope can be devastating.

For someone suffering a mental illness or for their family there are many days when hope may be a distant memory or a wish for the future. The truth is that today there are many effective treatmentfor mental disorders. And we are making progress in dispelling the myths and educating others about the truths of mental illness. The diagnosis of a mental illness is not the dismal picture it once was.

Because hope is not always easy to find on your own, you often have to look in other places such as books, videos, articles and in other people to find that small feeling of optimism. Chatham-Kent Consumer & Family Network, The Canadian Mental Health Awareness Committee and the many mental health agencies that are a part of the Mental Illness Awareness Committee continually hold seminars and public forums to offer hope to those who are affected in some way by mental illness.

If you or someone you know is suffering from a mental illness and is having trouble feeling hopeful, this forum may help you see a light at the end of the tunnel. It will also be a good opportunity for others to learn the real truths about mental illness and see the illnesses as what they are… brain disorders that can affect anyone at anytime. They will also learn that having a mental illness does not have to be a long and slippery slope. Many people successfully treat and manage their mental disorders and go on to lead very fulfilling lives.

Even if you aren't affected by a mental illness in any way, this forum will help us all to learn the value of keeping and looking for hope in our struggles. "There is no medicine like hope, no incentive so great and no tonic so powerful as the expectation of tomorrow". O.S. Marden.