Episode 20 RTNT LIVE on CJRU: Mental Health and LGBTQ+

Radio Totally Normal Toronto

Radio Totally Normal Toronto, or RTNT for short, is a voice for community mental health; produced by the members and staff of Progress Place, a mental wellness clubhouse in downtown Toronto.


Our topic for this month is Mental Health and LGBTQ+. The acronym stands for: lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer, plus. This posted version of the show includes the full version of both interviews.

Today we’ll be hearing from two wonderful organizations that were kind enough to donate their time during Pride Month to share information about their agencies. First we’ll be hearing from Ronnie of Sherbourne Health and then we’ll be hearing from Chris Shillington of the Umbrella Mental Health Network.
The reason we’ve chosen to cover the connection between LGBTQ+ and mental health is not only because of Pride Month, but to address and raise awareness of LGBTQ+ services available in our community.

According to the Canadian Mental Health Association, LGBTQ+ people may face:

Higher rates of depression, anxiety, obsessive-compulsive and phobic disorders, suicidality, self-harm, and substance use among LGBTQ+ people

Double the risk for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) than heterosexual people.

Although the community may be considered vulnerable, its important to note that the community has overcome a lot of adversity and displayed resilience to create a space for themselves.

Thank you to all the members and staff of Progress Place who work hard each month to create a recurring episode of Radio Totally Normal Toronto. Special thank you to Ronnie of Sherbourne Health and Chris Shillington of Umbrella Mental Health Network for being involved in episode 20 of RTNT.

Thank you to our listeners, and please share this episode with your friends and family. Together we can transition from mental health stigmas to a continued focus on mental health wellness.

To learn more about RTNT or listen to previous episodes please check out radiototallynormaltoronto.org. We are pleased to announce that the show is now streaming on Spotify, Apple Podcast, and Google Podcast if you search up Radio Totally Normal Toronto.

Sherbourne Health:
sherbourne.on.ca
Umbrella Mental Health Network:
www.umhn.ca
RTNT:
www.radiototallynormaltoronto.org
For more information about Progress Place please visit:
www.progressplace.org