#BellLetsTalk

Depression and other mental illnesses don’t discriminate. It doesn’t really matter what someone’s age is, or their background or stage in life. When mental illness hits, it hits. And everyone deserves a chance to get help, and an opportunity to talk about what’s weighing them down.

Mental health issues take a huge toll on individuals and on society itself. According to the Mental Health Commission of Canada, mental health problems cost the Canadian economy at least $50 billion per year. And the rate of mental health issues is high: 1 in 5 Canadians will experience some form of it in their life.

And, as we know, mental health issues are a terrible burden for Indigenous people. Just recently, Statistics Canada announced research that showed more than 1 in 5 aboriginal adults living off reserve have had suicidal thoughts at some point in their lives. That number may even be larger than StatsCan has reported.

Talking about our struggles can help relieve them, can help others see that there’s always a way out and that there are people who are ready and willing to listen, because there are.

One day a year, Bell encourages all of us to talk about mental health, to try to break the stigma. For every tweet with the #BellLetsTalk hashtag, Bell will donate 5 cents to mental health initiatives in Canada. To find out about resources and places to go for help, letstalk.bell.ca.

So tweet using #BellLetsTalk to share your story, support others in their journey and to let anyone struggling know they’re not alone.