Markham Stouffville Hospital

Esther Herbert recalls being handcuffed by police and escorted to a waiting ambulance, where she was taken to MSH. After years of being misdiagnosed, it was then at MSH and meeting Dr. Mark Berber, that she was diagnosed with bipolar disorder.
 

"I've had this illness since I was about 15 or 16 years old," says Esther, who is now 54. "Now that I'm diagnosed and committed to the program, I'm so excited to tell people you can live with this and you can manage this and you can be productive," she says.
 

“Bipolar disorder is still underdiagnosed and inadequately treated,” says Dr. Berber. “There’s great room for improvement when it comes to a more timely diagnosis and more adequate treatment.” And he says stigma is still an issue.

Carina Lawrence first experienced depression and anxiety when she was a high school student. But three years ago, is when she was at the lowest point she had ever been.
 

“I felt hopeless and could not make it through a minute without crying. I was so anxious that I literally could not sit still. It was so bad that I could not imagine living another minute and that is when I was taken to MSH” she says.
 

“It was probably the most terrifying thing I had ever been through. I felt exposed, broken and so ashamed. I felt as if there was no hope. It was then that I met my psychiatrist Dr. Rus Sethna and was cared for by the team of nurses and other health care providers who ultimately changed my life.”

The Run for Women – Unionville support ensures that every woman cared for at MSH — where women comprise more than half the patients seeking mental health care — is supported on her path to mental health wellness.