Torontonian of the year: Orlando da Silva

Since his appointment to the head of the Ontario Bar Association, lawyer Orlando da Silva has spoken about 60 times about mental illness he's suffered.

He credited it as being part of a shift toward openness in these professions. His tenure as the head of the association has come to an end, but as evident by his nomination for Metro Morning's Torontonian of the Year, the impact he made lives on.

He suffers from a type of depression that "escalates into a major depressive episode every four or five years." It started when he was young and continued into adulthood, when he became a trial lawyer.

He eventually attempted suicide.

"After my suicide attempt back in 2008, I spent three months in the hospital. Over that three month period I didn't tell anyone why I was away," he recounted on Metro Morning.

"It was a hard thing to do to admit even to myself that I was there at all," he said. "As a trial lawyer, I thought that would cry out as weakness and vulnerabililty."

Eventually he did reveal his struggles, and his family, his hometown of Kitchener, Ont., and his colleagues showed him tremendous support. His turn as O.B.A. president will be remembered for his mental health advocacy.

"It's amazing what you can accomplish if you overshare," he said.