[LINK] "Let’s Talk About The Corporatization of Mental Health"

[rfmcdonald]

At Torontoist, Hana Shafi takes issue with Bell Canada's particular approach to mental health, one that overlooks the root causes.

A subway poster reads: “On January 27, let’s turn [sad face emoji] into [happy face emoji],”—a catchy slogan, but one that simplifies the complexities of mental illness. It’s an ad for Bell Let’s Talk Day, a campaign that seeks to end the stigma around mental health and donate money for the cause.

The campaign, which began in 2011, has raised more than $100 million for various research institutes, hospitals, and organizations. It’s a simple and effective concept: For every phone call and text made on the Bell network and for every Bell Let’s Talk hashtag used that day, the company will donate five cents to the cause.

Since the campaign’s inception, Bell has received praise for being one of few major Canadian corporations to start conversations about mental health. But for some mental health advocates in Toronto, Let’s Talk Day has not been enough.

With its simplistic focus on mental illness, detractors claim that Bell has failed to look at the bigger picture.