Bell Let's Talk Day is no substitute for ongoing mental health support: blogger

Today is the day when all across Canada, people make a big deal about mental health. The day when people gleefully post and retweet a corporate hashtag, dust off their hands and declare a job well done for another year.

By now, most of us are aware of Bell Let’s Talk Day, the annual instance of corporate do-goodedness that generates an enviable amount of publicity for the company, in exchange for a five-cent donation to mental health groups for every appropriately-tagged tweet and Facebook post.

Texts and calls made on the Bell system also secure donations, so it’s not all about leaving a virtual footprint. But you’d be forgiven for forgetting that.

By 11:30 a.m. ET on Wednesday, more than 25 million “interactions” had already been logged – which should work out to about $1.25 million in donations.

It’s easy to be swept up in the enthusiasm of it all. Everyone from the Prime Minister of Canada to actor Jay Baruchel have joined the online cause, and rallied others to join as well.

It’s also easy to embrace the cynicism, and dismiss the campaign as a corporate stunt. Others have previously noted the massive bump in positive PR the telecommunications company receives from the campaign.

Marketing Magazine noted last year that Let’s Talk Day was a spectacularly successful in terms of building Bell’s positive reputation. The article does note that for all the good the campaign does – not just for the money donated but also its focus on ending the stigma around mental health – the company probably deserves it.

The larger issue isn’t whether Bell benefits from its altruism, but whether its impact extends beyond one day a year. On that front, questions remain. Is Canada doing enough?

When Stephen Harper’s official Twitter account belted out its support for #BellLetsTalk, a frustrated hoard called on him to do more than tweet.

"Why don’t you have proper funding for those in need?" one woman asked. Veracity aside, it shed light on an undercurrent of frustration coursing through Canadian veins.

Other users called for free mental health care, challenged Harper’s policies as damaging to sufferers of mental illness, and raised the tempestuous question of federal support for military veterans suffering from mental illness.

Regardless of the hate, Harper’s message was retweeted more than 4,000 times. So he’s arguably done his lot for the day.

Inarguably, however, is that Canada has room to improve in how it handles those facing mental health issues. Last week, Canada’s Mental Health Commission released the first portion of a massive study into the mental health status of Canadians. The results indicated that shortcomings do remain in Canada’s care for those with mental illnesses.

The report scored Canada on its success in addressing 13 key indicators of mental illness (the full report addressing all 63 indicators will be released in April).

Of the 13 indicator scores released last week, Canada received a positive grade on only one of them – our success in creating a sense of belonging among immigrants.

Eight other benchmarks received a grade denoting mixed results, marking them as a cause of some concern – these include high levels of stress in Canadian workplaces, public discrimination and anxiety among Canadian youth.

Four key points received failing grades, indicating the issues were bad and getting worse.

Those indicators were the high level of stress among family caregivers, incidents of intentional self-harm among college students, recovery success for those with common mental health conditions, and suicide.

"Suicide is arguably the most tragic consequence of mental illness. Among those who die by suicide, a large percentage have a history of mental health problems," the study notes. "In 2011, 10.8 per 100,000 people — or 3,728 Canadians — died because of suicide. Suicide rates in Canada, while stable over time, are higher than in some other G8 countries."

There have been foundational improvements in the mental health system, some of it coming directly from this campaign – including money to pay for the development of a mental health centre at Vancouver General Hospital. But more commitment is needed.

Bell can’t solve all of Canada’s mental health problems. Still, there is more open discussion about mental health now than there was when Let’s Talk Day was launched five years ago.

Whether the stigma has dissipated, and to what level Bell has played a role, is less certain. A new survey found that one-third of Canadian workers have suffered from a mental health condition. But 20 per cent of workers still believe the afflicted can control their sadness.

In some ways, the benefit of Let’s Talk Day comes down to the individual. Some of us have lost friends and family to mental health, and this can be a positive way continue their struggle for mental health equality. Others may see it as a momentary tease – a fleeting promise of improvement left unfulfilled. Some sufferers may find solace in the day, and use it as inspiration to break their silence, reach out to their loved ones and seek help.

Let’s Talk Day is invaluable, if for those people alone. Any questions about corporate brand management or the country’s struggle to better treat mental health indicators are secondary to the possibility that one person will find the courage to seek help.

But the real victory will come when Canada cares about mental health every day of the year. We shouldn’t need a cell phone company to remind us that those with mental illnesses are human, and that there’s nothing to be ashamed of.