Let’s (Not) Talk: How the System Sucks at Supporting Mental Health"

 

"Let’s (Not) Talk: How the System Sucks at Supporting Mental Health"

Another Let’s Talk Day has come and gone, plastering our feeds with feel-good slogans and carefully curated ads reminding us to “end the stigma.” But here’s the thing: it’s hard to talk when no one’s listening—and even harder when the system itself enforces silence.

Let’s get real: the BC medical system has made it nearly impossible for families to function. The privacy policies, while well-intentioned on paper, are a bureaucratic nightmare in practice. Imagine this: your kid is struggling with their mental health, and you’re desperate to help. But guess what? You can’t. The system blocks parents from accessing crucial information about their own children under the guise of “privacy,” leaving families in the dark. Who’s advocating for the child? Who’s supporting the parent? No one. That’s who.

And then came COVID, amplifying every crack in the system a thousandfold. Isolation, fear, and stress became the norm. Families were torn apart, unable to visit each other in hospitals or advocate for loved ones in need. The result? A tidal wave of mental health issues that we’re still drowning in. Add Big Pharma to the mix—pushing pills over real solutions—and the explosion of fentanyl deaths, and what do we get? A crisis so big even Bell’s billion-dollar marketing machine can’t spin it into positivity.

The phones? Oh, don’t even get me started. Sure, kids are glued to their screens, but are they communicating? Nope. They’re locked into a digital world that’s all surface, no substance. They can’t even write a paragraph anymore—forget essays, forget letters. It’s like society collectively forgot how to string together coherent thoughts. Confusion reigns supreme, and the medical system has done nothing but fan the flames.

So here we are, in a world where Let’s Talk Day feels like a cruel joke. “Talk to who?” we ask. The doctor who won’t return our calls? The therapist with a year-long waitlist? The overworked teacher who can barely keep their head above water? Or maybe we should talk to the endless void of a system that prioritizes policies and profit over people.

Here’s a better idea: Let’s Act Day. Let’s demand a medical system that empowers families instead of breaking them apart. Let’s challenge the privacy policies that leave parents powerless. Let’s stop letting Big Pharma dictate the narrative. Let’s address the root causes of mental health crises instead of slapping a band-aid on a gaping wound.

Because the truth is, we don’t need more hashtags or hotlines. We need action. And until that happens, Bell’s “Let’s Talk” campaign is just another empty corporate stunt.

So, medical system: get your act together. Families are crumbling, kids are struggling, and the world is watching. Enough is enough.