Bell Let’s Talk and seasonal depression

 

Jan. 29 was Bell Let’s Talk day, but that does not mean the conversation about mental health needs to stopーthe president of the St. Clair College Student Representative Council encourages students to always seek help in a mental health crisis.

January and February are the most prominent time of the year for seasonal depression, according to psychiatry.org, so the conversation of mental health is being brought into the light once more. Kiara Clement said she supports Bell Lets Talk and its cause.

“Bell Let’s Talk annually starts up again the conversation about mental health, mental illness, speaking up and supporting one another,” said Clement.

“Not only is this annual campaign raising money for mental health supports and services, but it is annually helping us chip away at the stigma that exists and that is growing and changing.”

Students, particularly with exams and school stresses, have the potential to be depressed during this time of year. Many schools and other organizations provide services targeting students mental health.

“From my perspective as SRC President, I acknowledge that there is a multitude of international students who experience mental health issues. However, they may not even know where to begin in terms of talking about it and getting help because in some places in the world it is taboo or the stigma is much more grievous,” said Clement. 

John Bautista, a public relations professor at St. Clair College emphasises the fact that conversation is key in recovery, and that mental illness does not discriminate. Seasonal depression affects student performance, according to Bautista.

Bell Let’s Talk enlists the help of celebrities, such as Howie Mandel, to promote its message. Bautista said this also helps continue the conversation.

“It’s a silent issue that we need to talk about more especially with celebrities, we’ve lost a lot of celebrities, because we didn’t know they were struggling…. Even now with a lot of celebrities on Instagram they are trying to promote ‘hey, it’s okay to talk about it and you shouldn’t be afraid,’” said Bautista. 

St. Clair College provides academic and mental health counseling, even for staff members.