COVID-19 created a global crisis in many aspects and affected the mental health of millions of people. People rarely talk about mental illness or mental disorders because many stigmas exist. In this article, we talk about mental health and how it affects people during pandemics and after the pandemic. We saw an effective rise in mental health campaigns after the pandemic. So, we’ll examine some campaigns that different organizations organize on World Mental Health Day.
World Mental Health Day:
As we celebrate World Mental Health Day on October 10, it is time to talk openly about our mental health and dispel all stigmas. Mental Health Day was first celebrated in 1992 by the World Federation for Mental Health.
This day also helps fight against all stigmas and campaigns for better conditions for people with mental health issues. Many people, organizations, and countries effectively celebrate WMH Day, such as Australia, which has a mental health week in October.
The theme of 2022’s World Mental Health Day, set by WHO, is “Making Mental Health and Well-Being for all a Global Priority.” It will be a big opportunity for people who are suffering from mental health issues, governments, stakeholders, advocates, and all people to come together to recognize the progress made till now and give suggestions about what we need to do to ensure mental health and well-being for all is a global priority. World Mental Health Day encourages people to be more aware of their mental health and other people’s as well.
World Mental Health Day History:
The World Federation of Mental Health, led by Richard Hunter, Deputy Secretary-General at that time, created World Mental Health Day in 1992. At that time, they had no precise objective other than to advocate for mental health.
At the very least, we can describe that step as an uphill battle to change a bad habit or a stigma that was making people’s lives worse. The WFMH knows they need to act on a global scale to solve a global issue.
The first World Mental Health Day theme was “Improving the Quality of Mental Health Services throughout the World” in 1994, and 27 countries sent feedback reports after the campaign.
After that, the WMH Day themes expanded along with the time, and women, children, trauma, suicide, and many more became part of the conversation.
Brands Showing their Support for Mental Health:
Global Vacations Week began to trend in 2021 to support customers’ and employees’ mental health and combat company-wide burnout. Bumble gave their employees a paid week off, Nike shut their offices, and LinkedIn, Google, PwC, and The New York Times are also following the trend. The growing need of consumers for mental health services can be tracked through the number of people turning to tech solutions.
Top Ten Mental Health Campaigns:
Read on for the Top Ten Campaigns on Mental Health Awareness to take notes.
1. JanSport—Lighten the Load:
We all feel the worst effects of COVID-19. But do some people feel it more than we do?
JanSport, an American backpack brand, decided to do its research regarding mental health. And to see how their Gen Z target audience felt and how they could help them in a small way.
JanSport investigated the biggest pain point for which they could offer support and ensured that they were listening, knowing that their audience was firmly in the Gen Z bracket.
JanSport was on a mission to connect people to reveal the mental health crisis. By asking young people across the country to share a glimpse of their mental health journey and how they #LightenTheLoad by sharing, that’s how they created a film series. Young people participate in Instagram Live Sessions in open conversation with mental health experts and influencers.
2. Young Minds: Wise Up:
Young Minds offers support for mental health for young people across the United Kingdom, guiding the generation to pass through all challenges and try to improve their health. They started a campaign named “Wise Up.“
That campaign was supported by a wealth of mental health insights illuminating the depth of school problems and the main causes that trigger mental health problems.
In every class, three students have a diagnosable mental disorder. The campaign took the form of videos and written form as a report to attract the attention of the general public and governments.
They requested signatures from students supporting the request so the government could take the initiative on mental health.
They have an open letter of 10,000 signatures to the Prime Minister, and they launched a Wise Up Written Report in Parliament where 40 MPS show their support for them.
3. Mind in Harrow – People like us:
Harrow is an ethnically diverse local authority in England and Wales, ranking ninth among ethnically diverse local authorities with over 40 different ethnic communities. In 2009, Mind in Harrow was commissioned by Harrow PCT to start a campaign and target people from BME communities.
This campaign aimed to raise awareness about mental health and services among BME communities. They assessed Black and Minority Ethnic Communities (BME), including workshops and one-to-one meetings.
The campaign successfully relayed the message that mental illness doesn’t just affect one type of person. According to figures, the campaign reached approximately 75,000 individuals from the BME community and promoted 375 requests for signposting.
Black and minority ethnic communities (BME) account for 27% of all mental health cases.
4. Time to Change—In Your Corner
Time to Change is a non-profit organization dedicated to abolishing mental health stigmas. They launched an “In Your Corner” campaign,s a five-year campaign inspired by 12 months of research on men’s and young people’s attitudes toward mental health and issues.
The “In Your Corner” campaign was launched with a film featuring three “corner men” who are seen to be actively listening and supporting a friend or mate when they need them.
5. The LADbible Group: UOKM8
Last September, the LADbible Group started a campaign called UOKM8. The campaign aims to raise awareness of mental health issues in men’s lives. The campaign was inspired by the fact that suicide is the biggest killer among British underage people.
After the results, an audience poll revealed that 37% of participants had considered ending their own life at some point.
Ian Moore of TheLADbible Group said:
“Around half of all British men between 18 and 24 follow TheLADbible, and I believe that by opening up on our platform so that our audience can talk about these issues, we can persuade young men to give to charity because they are allowed to talk about the feelings of isolation, anxiety, and depression that they are currently keeping secret.” The audience data showed that the campaign had the attention of around half of British men aged between 18 and 24.
6. #HereForYou on Instagram
Instagram CEO Kevin Systrom wrote in a blog post:
“Every day on Instagram we see people share their mental health journey and connect with different communities for support.”
The campaign’s starting point is the hashtag “# HereForYou.” These communities help people by using the hashtag # HereForYou in photos and videos to make illnesses that are mostly invisible to friends and family visible. Encourages people to support, listen to one another’s problems, and find appropriate help.
7. The Power of Okay—See me:
See Me, Scotland’s National Programme will start a campaign in November 2015. The campaign consists of a poem explaining this need to get people and colleagues at work to ask one another, “Are you okay?“. This campaign aims to end mental health stigma and discrimination regarding this.
Through this campaign, the results show that 48% of the employees never tell their employers about their health situation for fear of losing their jobs. And 55% thought that someone in their workplace with this condition would be unlikely to disclose it for fear of being moved or passed over for promotion.
And that’s why they embedded the language people used to describe their situations. Empower the audience to make things better by using “Are You Okay?”
8. Sage Therapists and Concentric Health-Silence Suck:
The campaign “Silence Sucks” from Sage therapists and Concentric Health aimed to raise awareness of mental health needs for new moms, specifically for postpartum depression. Postpartum depression is the most common and severe medical complication of childbirth, affecting around 10% to 20% of women in the U.S.
This campaign began aiming to break the culture of silence surrounding postpartum depression and overcome the negative stigmas associated with that condition.
The campaign started in 2017 and featured women sucking on “silencing” pacifiers. The campaign was named best in the 2018 Health Marketing Impact Awards show.
9. Brave Together – Maybelline New York:
Makeup brand Maybelline New York’s targeted audience is Gen Z (age 14–24). Maybelline launched its “Brave Together” campaign, which is described as “a long-term program to support anxiety and depression worldwide.”
The campaign seeks to provide one-on-one support around mental illness and provides a smart toolkit to help those who are struggling with depression and anxiety at a young age.
10. Rare Beauty—Mental Health 101:
Selena Gomez, an American actress, and singer, and her beauty brand Rare Beauty launched an educational, mental health campaign in 2021. She announced the campaign on Instagram named “Mental Health 101” was “so close to my heart because of my own struggles with it”.
Mental Health 101 is a type of education, Gomez. The educational service includes fact sheets, slides, and statistics about mental health.
And a petition calling for more support for mental health in educational institutions. The campaign was a general effort to remove mental health stigmas and make people feel more connected to one another.
Conclusion:
Mental illness touches most of us at some point in our lives. Whether directly or indirectly. The most impactful mental health campaign coincides with special dates.
Like Mental Health Awareness Week, World Mental Health Day, and more. Communication has a great impact on the fight to improve mental health around the globe.
Are there any exceptional campaigns we missed? Let us know in the comments. I would love to hear from you.
