Tag: Bell Let’s Talk

Reading of the Week: Placebo & Practice – the New Lancet Psych Paper; Also, Mortality & Opioids and Mental Health Awareness Campaigns

May 14, 2026 / / 0 Comments

From the Editor

The tone of our voice when discussing a treatment. The way we emphasize its benefits. Mention of our hopefulness. As clinicians, we are aware that small things can improve patient outcomes. To speak more technically: we harness placebo effects.

In an impressive new Lancet Psychiatry review, Dr. Matthew J. Burke (of the University of Toronto) and his co-authors examine placebo effects with an eye to the implications for clinical practice. They discuss imaging and physiology; they also mention depression and offer suggestions (including, yes, harnessing placebo effects). “The thoughtful application of placebo and nocebo effects has promise in enhancing patient care and treatment outcomes, but more research is needed to validate specific approaches.” We discuss the paper and its implications.

What is the survival rate after an opioid overdose? In a new research letter just published in JAMA, Dr. Robert A. Kleinman (of the University of Toronto) and his co-authors attempt to answer that question. Though they walk on a well-travelled path, they drew on data in this, the era of fentanyl. “Mortality was higher than estimates from previous research conducted prior to the widespread availability of fentanyl (5.3%-5.5%).”

And in the third selection from The Globe and Mail, Dr. Lester Liao (of McGill University) and his co-authors write about mental health campaigns. They note the unintended consequences, including overdiagnosis of disorders like ADHD and autism. “We started out with the greatest of intentions. Unintended consequences have arisen. That’s okay. We learn along the way. Now it’s time to change course.”

There will be no Reading next week.

DG

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Reading of the Week: Big Buzz, Big Impact? Considering Bell Let’s Talk and Other Awareness Campaigns

April 19, 2018 /

From the Editor

Bell Let’s Talk generates incredible attention. The annual effort raised almost $7 million this January, with tens of millions of social media interactions. It was praised by many, including the Prime Minister.

But do awareness campaigns like Bell’s actually result in people seeking care? And are awareness campaigns ultimately helpful? In this week’s Reading, we have two selections that consider these questions.

In the first selection, the study authors look at the Bell campaign, as well as outpatient visits for mental health, tapping Ontario databases. “The 2012 Bell Let’s Talk was temporarily associated with increases in the trends of outpatient mental health visits, especially within the adolescent female cohort.”

The second selection is an interview with Dr. Simon Wessely, one of the most prominent psychiatrists in the U.K., and the president of the Royal Society of Medicine. In a BMJ interview, he weighs in on integrating mental health and physical health services, his choice of psychiatry as a profession, and – yes – the role of awareness campaigns. “Every time we have a mental health awareness week my spirits sink. We don’t need people to be more aware. We can’t deal with the ones who already are aware.”

bell1Big campaign, big impact?

So are awareness campaigns worthwhile? You can read these selections and draw your own conclusions.

DG

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Reading of the Week: ECT in America – Uncommon, Uneven, and Underappreciated? The New Wilkinson Paper; Also, Cope’s Challenge to Corporate Canada

February 8, 2018 /

From the Editor

It’s difficult not to be excited about Bell Let’s Talk. Last week’s event set a fundraising record. Pause for a moment and appreciate how far we have traveled: a major Canadian corporation is promoting mental health awareness, raising millions of dollars in the process, and gathering praise from many, including the Prime Minister. The decline of stigma is seen across the west, with talk of tackling the opioid epidemic in New Hampshire, US, and of bettering psychological interventions in Hampshire, UK.

But how accessible is evidence-based care?

In the first selection, we consider a paper just published on ECT in the United States. Drawing on a massive database, the authors of this Psychiatric Services paper find ECT is used rarely and unevenly. In this Reading, we compare the American data to Canada’s – and draw a similar conclusion.

flag_map_of_the_contiguous_united_states_1912-1959A large country with many people – but not much ECT

And speaking of Bell Canada, in our second selection, we consider a Globe article on CEO George Cope’s recent Canada Club speech. In it, Cope challenges other businesses to implement a mental health strategy. “For business leaders… here’s the call-out: The numbers are self-funding. There’s no reason not to adopt a program in your company.”

DG

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