In addition, we plan to host live conversations with experts and influencers about their efforts to increase awareness of mental health issues and help people have the conversations that are often the first step towards getting help. Created to help the mental health community win support and change how mental health is both funded and stigmatised, the central message of the film is that mental ill-health is a global issue that affects everyone, everywhere. In honour of their work, and to mark Mental Health Awareness Week, we’re sharing a few of the powerful mental health campaigns from the Healthcare Communications space. Stigma and discrimination continue to be a barrier to social inclusion and access to the right care; importantly, we can all play our part in increasing awareness about which preventive mental health interventions work and World Mental Health Day is an opportunity to do that collectively.
Helpful resources to use and share
Simultaneously, addressing culture-bound syndromes can influence and reduce mental health stigma across cultures. In many Asian societies, mental health issues are often perceived as a sign of personal weakness or a failure of self-control. Such attributions can contribute to a sense of shame or blame within the family, exacerbating the stigma experienced by the individual with mental illness.
Throw in all the awareness dates for every other health issue under the sun and that’s almost a sure recipe for message fatigue. Pointing to the great many awareness month designations all for a single month, the authors wrote, “Unsure what to do with all your awareness? In the US, the number of designated national health awareness days had reached 200 by 2015 (Purtle & Roman, 2015).
Halloween Marketing Campaigns: Unmasking Success with Influencer Strategies
As young people are suffering from higher rates of drug addiction and poor mental health, it makes sense to target them. By working together, you can strengthen your marketing efforts, educate people on mental health and reach more people who need help with mental health conditions. As such, it’s clear to see why campaigners and mental health treatment providers have a shared vision and goal. Seeing an ad in print, online or on-screen can make all the difference to a person who’s struggling with mental health issues.
- Advocacy groups and grassroots organisations play an intermediary role in mainstreaming these issues and raising the concerns of persons with lived experience, making them known to the public and to those in power.
- They speak out, reveal what happened, and make people realize they are not alone.At Timely Psychiatry, everybody is entitled to warm, individualized treatment.
- Treatment by early mental illness diagnosis can many times increase the chances of recovery.
- It was started in 2015 to give a voice to all children and young people and to raise awareness of children and young people’s mental health.
- But is there a relationship between mental health awareness efforts and the reported prevalence of mental health problems?
- They serve to reduce stigma, educate the public, and encourage individuals to seek help.
Research has also explored the motivations for using social media as well as the perceived benefits of interacting on these platforms among individuals with mental illness. Similarly, in a sample of adolescents ages recruited from community mental health centers, 98% reported using social media, with YouTube as the most popular platform, followed by Instagram and Snapchat (Aschbrenner et al., 2019). Rates of social media use among psychiatric populations have increased in recent years, as reflected in a study with data from 2017 showing comparable rates Brand generosity and mental health of social media use (approximately 70%) among individuals with serious mental illness in treatment as compared to low-income groups from the general population (Brunette et al., 2019). Similarly, there is mounting evidence showing high rates of social media use among individuals with mental disorders, including studies looking at engagement with these popular platforms across diverse settings and disorder types. Recent studies have explored patterns of social media use, impact of social media use on mental health and wellbeing, and the potential to leverage the popularity and interactive features of social media to enhance the delivery of interventions. Across the United States and globally, very few people living with mental illness have access to adequate mental health services (Patel et al., 2018).
For many mental health champions, one of the ultimate goals of advocacy around international and national awareness days is to influence policy. Through platforms such as X (previously known as Twitter), LinkedIn, TikTok, Instagram and Facebook, it is possible to reach many people beyond your networks over a short period of time, making it an especially valuable medium for information dissemination and awareness raising. Involving them can help to grow the community of highly engaged and passionate youth advocates, who may continue to be mental health advocates as they grow older. It is widely recognised within the mental health field that effective advocacy is not possible without the meaningful inclusion of persons with lived experience, and policymakers usually respond positively to stories that humanise the issues. This was supported by extensive traditional and social media activities which engagingly brought together, research, personal testimonies and tips for connecting with nature using the hashtag ‘ConnectWithNature.’ To launch and disseminate these resources, a virtual parliamentary reception was held, where researchers, the government minister, other politicians, people with lived experience, and the CEO of the Foundation spoke about the evidence and the results of a new survey commissioned especially for the week.
Influencers and creators are actively involved in raising awareness on social media, even Jen Kish, a former rugby Olympian. Integrating supportive lifestyle guidance, including nutrition education, can further strengthen these initiatives by addressing mental well-being from a holistic perspective. In addition to the key components mentioned earlier, there are several best practices to consider when creating a mental health campaign that makes a difference. Looking to run an epic influencer marketing campaign on social media? Finally, choosing the right channels for delivering your message is critical to the success of your mental health campaign. Next, developing a message that resonates with your audience is essential to the success of your mental health campaign.