Mental illnesses can take many forms, just as any other illness. Mental Illnesses include mood disorders (including depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia and more), anxiety, personality disorders, and eating disorders. Suicide is not considered a mental illness itself, however, is often the consequence of an underlying mental condition and responsible for approximately 2 percent of all deaths.  There is a stigma attached to the range of diseases mental illnesses encompass and this has proven to be problematic for public support and acceptance of those facing a mental illness While modern day society more aware of mental illnesses, there are still many misconceptions, and misunderstandings surrounding the issue and some individuals refuse to accept that mental illnesses exist as a medical condition at all. Despite the controversy, most Canadians are affected by defined mental illnesses either directly or indirectly through family and friends. The Canadian government has reported that twenty percent of Canadians personally experiences some from of mental illnesses within their lifetime. Canadians primarily experience it by feeling isolated, lonely, sad, emotionally distressed or disconnected from society. These feelings tend to be experienced by most individuals at some point, however it is generally short-term or seen as a normal feelings in response to difficult situations and can be managed and learn to be coped with. Mental illness however, is different, as these feelings will seriously impact a person’s ability to function in their day-to-day lives over a longer period of time. Common coping strategies do not have the same impact on mentally ill individuals or may have no impact at all.

It has been reported that in 1993 the economical cost of mental illness in Canada was estimated to be $7.3 billion and this number has been growing ever since. Today most patients are helped by health care professionals and by community based services. Modern hospitals are equipped with appropriate treatment tools, as an alarming four percent of all hospital admissions today are related to mental illness. The causes of mental illnesses are complex although not fully unknown.  It is believed that genetics, biology, personality, socio-economic status, and significant life events are all contributing factors. Furthermore, it is believed mental health is intertwined with physical health and therefore mental illnesses can increase the risk of developing other medical problems such as diabetes, heart diseases, weight gain or loss, gastrointestinal problems, reduced immune system effectiveness, and blood biochemical imbalances.

In Canada, the federal government has taken many steps to help Canadians maintain and improve their mental health by strengthening our public health institutions and introducing public health infrastructures to support mentally ill citizens. For example, in 1995 the Public Health Agency of Canada was created in order to maintain and improve positive mental health and well being across the nation. It has successfully been responsible for the development of accessible mental health programs and workshops.  It is important to note that government sponsored programs are not the only programs available. One program my research has taken a look at is the Bell Let’s Talk program.

In 2010 Bell announced the launch of their Bell Let’s Talk campaign that would tackle the sigma around mental illnesses. Each year a date is chosen where Bell will donate 5 cents to mental health initiatives for every text message sent, long-distance call make, tweet made using #BellLetsTalk, or Facebook share of the Bell Let’s Talk page. The campaign has been a huge success, as Bell has donated $73.6 million to mental health initiatives in 2015 alone. Click here to be guided to Bell’s official Bell Let’s Talk official website for more information.  I would also love to hear about other mental health campaigns like Bell’s in the comment box below.