Stigma is a complicated thing, in the sense that there's social stigma, individual stigma, self-stigma, institutional stigma. It has to be addressed at all the different levels. I think there's an institutional stigma in provinces that don't cover psychotherapy. It's the most evidence-based treatment for mental illness, but they don't cover it.
In terms of how we are addressing stigma, there are many, many different ways. One of the interesting ways that we started teaching road to mental readiness was that we had a mental health professional, side by side with the soldier, teaching about mental health and mental health awareness. Soldiers respect the instructor. This is the boss, the person who is the expert. Then, somewhere along the way, they would maybe disclose that they've had a mental health condition themselves. They have PTSD.
The biggest thing for stigma reduction—evidence based—is to actually meet somebody with a mental illness and realize they are okay. They're competent. They're able to do things. It needs to challenge your image of what it is, as much as possible. That's a big part of it.
A few years ago, we put out a call—just a quick email—for people who were interested in talking about their experiences with mental illness. There were hundreds of people who responded. We had everyone, from privates up to admirals, saying that they got ill and the best thing they did was to talk to their boss. My boss got me into care, or my friend, my family—this kind of idea.
It's right down to that personal level kind of idea. It's not always about campaigns. It's not always about hearing the psychiatrist, a certain general, the CDS saying that we need to do this. Sometimes it's all of the different ways, from the personal....
You want to challenge people's beliefs, and then show them evidence that people who have mental illness stay in the forces. People who have mental illness can get promoted—all of these kinds of things.
It's many, many different levels. Bell Let's Talk, is just an example of us joining...but every opportunity we can get is—