In the U.S., the CDC and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Service Administration (SAMHSA) have found that only 25 percent of people with mental health conditions think that others are sympathetic toward their illnesses.
By contrast, 57 percent of U.S. adults with no symptoms think that they are caring toward people suffering from mental health problems, and 89 percent think that treatment can help people with mental illness to lead normal lives. The mental health stigma, in large part, is a problem of perception.
In Canada, two out of three people with mental health symptoms avoid treatment because they fear being stigmatized for their symptoms. The Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA), in partner with Bell's "Let's Talk" initiative, have made taking the stigma out of mental health treatment one of the nation's top priorities.
Bell is Canada's largest telecommunications provider. The company is offering to donate proceeds from its Bell Blue Box recycling program, which repurposes old mobile phones, batteries and accessories, to the CMHA. The partnership is an extension of Bell's Let's Talk program.
On February 13, which was 2013's annual Let's Talk day, almost 97 million Canadians sent tweets with the #BellLetsTalk hashtag, shared the Let's Talk logo on Facebook, sent text messages or made long-distance calls. A donation from Bell of five cents per call, tweet, text or share raised $4.8 million for mental health organizations throughout Canada.
A number of Canadian celebrities, including Justin Bieber and William Shatner, participated in Let's Talk day. Altogether, 2013 fundraising totaled 23 percent over 2012 levels.
Bell's Let's Talk is a five-year program built on four separate pillars: anti-stigma, care and access, research and workplace best practices. So far, the company has raised over $62 million for mental health in Canada.
"Bell Let's Talk is proud that Bell's green leadership can support the efforts of the CMHA," said Mary Deacon, chair of the Bell Let's Talk initiative. "We invite Canadians to help move mental health forward as they also help reduce the impact on the environment."
Edited by
Jamie Epstein
