Indian Time - A Voice from the Eastern Door

By Mahlon Smoke

As the first month of the new year comes to a close, the mental effects of the previous year still linger on in a lot of people. On January 28th, 2021, Bell acknowledges this with, ‘Let’s Talk Day’, an event dedicated to fighting the stigma of mental health issues. Especially during the pandemic, where these issues have been exacerbated for a lot of people. This panel, a first-time virtual event which had about 150 people registered and attended on Zoom. The purpose of this was to give a voice to people who have been suffering from different forms of mental illness. From depression to Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID), anxiety, and more.

The panel lists consisted of Cornwall Mayor Bernadette Clement, Executive Director Joanne Ledoux-Moshonas, Mental Health Advocate Mitch Dubeau; Melanie Brulee, a Singer/Songwriter; Cofounders of MenTalk/K’hommuniqu Steven Douris and Ivan Labelle; Chantal Larocque, a Parent Mental Health Advocate and Angele D’Alessio Mental Health Promoter, who hosted the event. All in the name of sharing their stories and speaking about their own issues in hopes of inspiring others by showing that everyone has their own personal struggles.

“A diverse and dynamic group of speakers with different backgrounds and experiences,” said D’Alessio at the beginning of the event.

Mayor Clement, speaking about her own experience and how the pandemic has affected her mentally and emotionally.

Mayor Clement had this to say about why she is an active participant in these events, “Mental Health matters every day and every year – the more we talk, the more we share stories, the more we send the message that it’s okay to struggle and it’s okay to try and get help.”

The Mayor shared her own personal stories of spending a lot of time in quarantine, playing music and dancing in her apartment when she felt depressed. Especially as an extroverted person who loved interacting with people, but has to remain away from her family, especially her ageing mother and father, who is reaching 99-years-old soon. But she continues to find ways to keep herself happy and sane through exercising, dancing, and blasting her music.

The other panelists shared their experiences, such as Mitch Dubeau, a transman who has struggled with DID all his life and it wasn’t helped by films like Split and Psycho, portraying people with dissociative identity disorder (DID), formerly known as multiple personality disorder, as serial killers and monsters. Dubeau has spent most of his life dispelling that common myth spread by said films and media perception. While he has overcome so much involving his disorder, he still struggles from time to time, but he mentions he’s in a much better place now with his identity and his health.

Singer/Songwriter Melanie Brulee, spoke about her fall into depression and how she would turn to drugs and alcohol to soothe her, but as she also mentioned it was a destructive habit. During the pandemic, while she hadn’t written any songs, she has taken time to “reconstruct her life” as she put it, taking medications, changing her diet, and taking time to get to know herself and to become a better person.

Stephen Douris, who has taken the time to read and doing renovation at his home. Chantal Larocque, a mother who has had added stress caring for her children and making sure that their mental health is taken care of as well. All these stories shared were to help show that no matter what, people do struggle and it helps to talk about these experiences and not to hide it. But what this event also promoted is people listening to those who are struggling and ask friends and family “Are you doing okay?”, to be patient, to be kind, to not judge, and to let those who are struggling speak out and express their feelings. Bell Let’s Talk is all about communication and erasing stigma surrounding mental health issues, allowing people to speak up and let their stories be heard and understood by others, for support and understanding of what they are going through. Especially during a pandemic that is still currently going on.