Mental Health Awareness Month celebrates its 70th anniversary in May. Many health systems are working hard to remove the stigma around mental illness and improve access to care. Content marketing can be an effective and efficient way to make progress toward those goals.
In fact, Ceralytics’ 2018 Healthcare Content Marketing Report found “mental health” is an underutilized topic. Perhaps surprisingly, the report further indicates that mental health awareness content drives the most engagement. Audiences are clearly hungry for it.
Prevalence & Opportunities
Possibly this is because mental health issues are so prevalent. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, in 2017, roughly 19% of all adults in the United States were diagnosed with a mental illness. This translates to 46.6 million individuals age 18 or older.
The highest prevalence of mental illness, 25.8% of all diagnoses, occurred in young adults between 18 and 25 years. By the way, these young adults are considered “digital natives.” They were born during the age of digital technology. Therefore, they are familiar with computers and the Internet from an early age. This makes them an ideal audience to engage in social campaigns during Mental Health month.
Resources
One resource to look at is Mental Health America. They have expanded on last year’s Mental Health Awareness Month theme of #4Mind4Body. This year, they are exploring ways to boost mental health and general wellness. Topics include: animal companionship (including pets and support animals), spirituality, humor, work-life balance, recreation and social connections. They have a free downloadable toolkit to help inspire promotional ideas. It includes: sample press release, fact sheets, banners, outreach ideas, and much more.
Barriers
Most of us are comfortable sharing about our health with co-workers and friends. Yet we might not talk about receiving treatment for depression or an anxiety disorder. The stigma around mental health can be so strong, people avoid talking about it. Some will wait as much as a year before telling a friend or family member they even have a problem. This is why Medicom Health created two behavioral health assessments, Depression and Anxiety. We want to promote a dialogue, reduce stigma, and help individuals take the first step toward healing.
How You Can Help
Start talking #4Mind4Body. The research shows people crave content surrounding mental health. This May is the perfect time to raise awareness around our overall state of well-being and discuss what mental health means in our own lives. By talking openly about mental health and starting a national dialogue around its role in totalhealth, we can make mental well-being as important as regular exercise and good nutrition.
We’re here to help you during Mental Health Awareness Month and beyond.
Please feel free to contact us with questions, concerns, or comments.
Ask us how adding (or optimizing) the Depression and Anxiety HRAs
can support your system’s commitment to your community.
Michael Venske
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