It was just over a week ago when we all took our mobiles phones to text, tweet and phone our friends and family in the name of mental health.

On February 8th, Bell held their second annual Bell Lets Talk Day.  This was a day dedicated to having conversations and helping to remove the stigma of mental health.  Bell customers were asked to text often and save their long distance calls for Feb. 8, as for every text sent and long distance call made, Bell would be donating five cents to mental health programming in Canada. For those of us who were not Bell customers, we were still given the ability to donate our social media time. For every retweet of Bell Lets Talk’s official tweet, Bell also donated five cents to mental health programs.

It was great to see that this wasn’t just a one day initiative. You may have seen many of the specials aired on CTV about mental health.  Michael Landsberg, host of CTV’s Off the Record helped to create a documentary titled ‘Darkness and Hope: Depression, Sports and Me’ that featured his own story along with Clara Hughes’, Darryl Strawberry’s and Stephane Richler’s.  I’ve said it before, but I will say it again, having athletes and celebrities speak out about mental health helps children and youth realize that they are not alone and helps to remove the stigma they may be dealing with.

Canada AM also held a townhall meeting that allowed audience members of all ages to ask questions pertaining to mental health. Whether they were asking about stigma, medication or where to go for help, this kind of television special lets us see the real people that are struggling with mental health issues and also allows viewers to get answers to questions that might also have been bothering them. Hearing from peers is another great way to remove stigma.

While Bell Lets Talk Day has come and passed (raising $3.9 million for mental health programs), it’s important that we continue to have conversations about mental health.  This blog is just one of the many ways I keep the conversation going. What are some of the things you do to continue conversations about mental health?

If you didn't get to see the CTV specials, you can view them online at www.shows.ctv.ca/BellLetsTalk