As we go through another Bell Let’s Talk Day, it’s easy to feel like there is still so far to go in terms of how mental health is managed and supported in this country. But, in looking back over the last 20 years, it should allow us to see how far we, as a society, have come.
In the fall of 2004, I was just less than a year into a new job. It was busy and stressful, and I was working up to 70 hours a week. While there were parts I enjoyed, it was becoming too much. Around that time, my sister invited me to a Support Network breakfast where former NHLer Ron Ellis was speaking. He spoke about his depression and how it slowly began to take over in him. As I listened, I heard him describing me. I had never really thought of myself of being depressed. Sure, I had some down times, but I had never felt it was my mental health that was the issue.
Days later I sat down with my sister. Not only was she family, but she was experienced in supporting others with such challenges. She was extremely helpful in talking me through what I was feeling and potential ways I could manage it. One of those options was to use the employee assistance program through my employer and talk to a counsellor. This was another thing I never thought I’d use. It was something others might need if they couldn’t figure things out on their own, but I’d always thought I’d fall into the camp of people who could solve their own issues. Finally I went ahead and met with a counsellor. He was helpful and engaged me in some good conversations that got me on a better path. That said, I kept it hidden. I didn’t seek support from other people around me partly because I wasn’t sure how they’d react. I admit, at the time I was a bit upset at myself that I’d let things slip and that I didn’t have the answers on my own.
If I was going through this for the first time today, I am confident in saying that embarrassment or self-anger would be less likely to exist. In a relatively short time, our society has made it safer for people to share and open up. We’ve made it normal for people to be honest about their struggles. We’ve made it a more common for people to be vulnerable more regularly, and not just in front of counsellors. This is success – no, it’s huge success. It’s incredible growth we’ve seen. To no extent am I suggesting that we have fully solved the mental health challenges in our country. We haven’t. Supports for mental health need to be better built into our health system so it’s treated as a health ailment, much like a broken arm or an ear infection and we’re not there yet. We need to continue to support people in sharing their thoughts, through formal or informal settings, and to further normalize the idea of talking and sharing or anxieties and feelings. But…we’ve made huge improvements and we need to celebrate that.
In so many parts of our world it’s easy to look at where you are today and feel as though strides forward have been few. On the topic of mental health, we have made huge moves ahead. We hear about mental health and its importance discussed now almost everyday and from all walks of life. Through that, more people are opening up and getting the help they need. We’re far from being there yet, but we’re an awful lot closer today than back in 2004 when this writer cautiously and quietly took his first steps to improving his mental health.
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