Olsen Foundation for Mental Health

My name is Jason Olsen, and I am one of the luckiest men in the world.

I spent 11 years battling chronic depression, or more accurately, Major Depressive Disorder and bounced between phases of tolerating life and being overwhelmingly immobilised. From the time I started taking my professional treatment with any sort of seriousness or effort it took nearly 3 years to get myself to a point where I knew I had turned the corner and considered myself recovered. The truth is I would have never made it without the incredible support of my doctors, family, and friends that gave me something to lean onto and and force me forward when I wasn't able to do it myself. I owe so much to them, and quite frankly, a lot to the circumstances I was bestowed.

Many people lack the familial and friend support, access to healthcare, financial resources, and fortune that I had during my battle. Our provincial healthcare systems are severely underfunded by our administrations leaving many of those less fortunate to fall through the cracks. Self-medication and escapism are a rampant form of treatment that inevitably causes long-term harm to the individual and reinforces the disconnect from self and reality in a vicious spiral deeper into mental illness.

The mental health of our young is deteriorating at an alarming rate, particularly in a post-pandemic western world, and the long term trend is not encouraging. While more awareness is being given to mental health and we are attempting to reduce the stigma, actual treatment solutions are scarce given the human and financial capital available.

This is my way of attempting to use my own experience, story, and resources for something more meaningful than a distant memory of difficult times. Acting as a liaison, we can connect the vulnerable with the needed resources and support their treatment journey by removing the prohibitive financial burdens. The program doesn't stop at treatment; we aim to provide additional holistic support such as access to social work and addiction support programs within the Edmonton community. We vow to take a long-term care approach with each client and offer support until they feel comfortable with complete independence. This initiative is not about the quantity of people served, but the exhausting, difficult journey of walking alongside someone struggling on their road to recovery.