Bell Let's Talk Day

[Sliver]

I think if a company is going to have a session to discuss mental health, they need to have a mental health professional leading the session. To convene a meeting led by the assistant to the regional manager over the lunch hour is inappropriate. You need to be qualified to start doling out mental health advice in such a setting and I'm not confident a layman is equipped to do so.

Bell's Let's Talk is good as I think in the few short years I've been aware of the initiative it has helped decrease the stigma of mental illness; however, just talking isn't good enough. It's incumbent upon somebody organizing or facilitating a session on mental health to have the experts in place to do it properly and to be able to refer people to the appropriate professional(s).

[oilfanforever]

I'd like to reiterate all of the comments that commend the initiative and the attention its brought to the issue of mental health. It's been significant, and much needed.

I did find myself highly annoyed yesterday when I read a reply by the Bell account on Twitter thanking Premier Ford for his commitment to the issue. Ford tweeted some bog standard tweet about how he's behind the issue. Fact is, the Ford government has proposed massive cuts to planned mental health funding. Say what you want about fiscal management, but you can't propose huge cuts, not have a replacement plan to deal with the issue, then declare yourself in support of it.

The fact Bell itself provided Ford political air cover on twitter for his commitment to mental health shows me one of two things:

1. The person running the Bell twitter account is a full on idiot; or
2. Bell doesn't actually give a darn about mental health, and see this purely as a corporate interest advancing CSR play

In the end, it doesn't matter - the initiative is great. Just needed that off my chest.

[White Out 403]

Bells hollow virtue signalling is empty to me. They treat their employees like ####. Give them insane targets that mean they can either slam sell their clients or endure terrible stress at work.

[SuperMatt18]

Originally Posted by White Out 403

Bells hollow virtue signalling is empty to me. They treat their employees like ####. Give them insane targets that mean they can either slam sell their clients or endure terrible stress at work.

Never worked at Bell so can't really speak to that...but really that is the scenario at any sales based / targets based company that has incentives for performance.

Just because that is part of their corporate structure doesn't make what they are doing here any less important or any less valuable.

Raising $7M dollars, and more importantly using the program to encourage 145 Million interactions where people are discussing and encouraging others to discuss their mental health is still a good thing.

[White Out 403]

Originally Posted by SuperMatt18

Never worked at Bell so can't really speak to that...but really that is the scenario at any sales based / targets based company that has incentives for performance.

Just because that is part of their corporate structure doesn't make what they are doing here any less important or any less valuable.

Raising $7M dollars, and more importantly using the program to encourage 145 Million interactions where people are discussing and encouraging others to discuss their mental health is still a good thing.

Didn't say it wasn't

Still rings hollow.

[GGG]

I actually think Bells Let’s talk is one of the better pieces of corporate charity.

Yes they likely evaluated how much brand recognition they could get for how many dollars and found that mental health was underserved compared to cancer rises, the united way, etc. And by being the face of the org rather than just a sponsor is way better for social media presence.

However the advertising both celebrity based and just the regular people based is pretty good. It isn’t just slapped together, someone who works in mental health in the workplace is obviously putting it together and it gets people talking. One of the safety moments at work this week was about mental health.

I think this is a case where the incentives of bell and the incentives of people actually aligned and capitalist motives are providing public benefit despite the goal of the program not being public benefit. Let them take the win on this one.

[speede5]

Originally Posted by Mean Mr. Mustard

This is a bit of an interesting issue, I was in a relationship with someone who was abusive towards me and had a significant history of mental illness and cluster b personality traits. Having been physically threatened, demeaned, and emotionally abused for a period of time I decided that I needed to leave for my own well-being. Now this person obviously has mental health issues that I tried to help with, but was unsuccessful in doing so (refused to see a therapist/psychologist or engage in any form of assistance, and me asking her to do so was putting too much pressure on her).

Where does someone draw the line between someone who is a jerk and abusive and someone who has a mental illness and I should feel empathy for? Are they mutually exclusive? Does the gender of the parties make a difference? Do people consider cluster b diagnoses to have the same weight/magnitude?

Oh man I feel for you, was in a very similar situation and have a broken marriage to show for it. The system is so reactive and there is little you can do until something boils over.

Mental illness issues give a whole new meaning to "in sickness and in health".

This whole Bell talks thing strikes a nerve because I had no help trying to effect change in my situation. I feel like BT is great for the day to day struggles most people face but those same people who change their profile pics don't really get that mental health is not just your friend who is sad cause life is hard. It's the person who is bi-polar and can't move for three months, the person who is schitzo and thinks everyone is out to get them, the person who can beat the crap out of you for no reason, the person who kills someone on a bus because God told them too.

At the end of the day I have concluded that you have to do what's best for you. If someone won't get help or admit the problem you either accept it and live with it or move on. They have to hit their own rock bottom to decide to change, there is nothing you can do to make it happen.

[Matt Reeeeead]

You can definitely feel empathy for someone, while also doing what's right for yourself, and asking for a level of accountability.

The empathy part makes you understand, have the conversations, encourage helpful solutions.

But mental health problem or not, at some point you can't force a horse to water. If they dont want to play ball, admit issues, and attempt to work on them, there is only so far you can go before its neither helpful to yourself or the other person. You have to be able to draw the line somewhere.