Inspired by a recent Letter to the Editor, I have decided to share some reflections on why we need to make it easier to talk about suicide in our communities.

May 2 to 8th is Mental Health Week in Canada. In recognition of this week, Muslim Link is publishing a Letter to the Editor from one of our readers, a Muslim woman in Ottawa who was recently diagnosed with depression. She shares her journey in the hopes that it helps other Muslims inshallah.

Ayan Yusuf is coping with paranoid schizophrenia and depression and she wants you to know all about it. The 26 year-old spoke at the 3rdAnnual Awakening: Reviving the Spirit of Somali Youth event in January about her struggle and why it is important for the community to challenge the stigma faced by those living with mental illness. She hopes that by sharing her story, other Muslims living with mental illness will feel less alone in their struggle.