What is it about mental illness that generates discomfort for people? Ignoring the warning signs of an imminent mental breakdown is believed to have been a contributing factor in one well-publicized case that ended in tragedy for the Lall family. Why does it take a tragedy to discuss mental illness when it is so prevalent in our society?

This issue was discussed in an excellent column entitled We’re all to blame for staying mum on mental illness written by André Picard in the June 5th edition of the Globe and Mail

• André Picard, public health reporter at The Globe and Mail and author of Critical Care: Canadian Nurses Speak For Change and The Gift of Death: Confronting Canada’s Tainted Blood Tragedy and A Call to Alms: The New Face of Charity in Canada.