Q: What is the thinking behind CAMH’s Awareness Campaign?
A: Society tends to dismiss, ignore and overlook mental illness. In order for people struggling with a mental health problem to get the help they need to recover, this must change.
We’ve all heard or said things like, ‘Don’t worry, it’s just a phase’…‘It’s all in your head’… ‘Snap out of it’… ‘You just need a night out’. This dismissive attitude is one of the reasons that as many as two out of three people living with mental illness do not receive the help they need to live their best lives.
CAMH’s awareness campaign puts a very personal and relatable lens on dismissal and denial, and encourages each one of us to self-evaluate and question our own actions, words and values when in comes to mental illness. A shift in attitude can make a critical difference on an individual level; it can also help advance mental health issues in society at large and lead to a healthier and more inclusive community.
One in five Canadians will have a mental illness. This is the issue of our time. That is why CAMH is asking everyone to Defeat Denial. Help Defeat Mental Illness.
Q: What is the purpose of the campaign?
A: CAMH has promised to “drive social change”, including launching a public awareness campaign, in its brand new Strategic Plan entitled VISION 20:20. CAMH is committed to transforming society’s understanding of mental illness, to fighting prejudice and discrimination, and building a better mental health care system.
The purpose of the campaign is to:
Q: Where did the idea of using the phrases come from?
A: Our advertising company went through an in depth stakeholder consultation process to surface issues that our campaign needed to address. Examples of dismissive comments denying the reality of the person’s experience at critical moments in their illness emerged as a common theme. We know that denial, dismissal and stigma are significant barriers to treatment, contributing to 2/3 of people with mental illness not pursuing the help they need.
Q: Why did you decide to use those particular phrases?
A: Those particular phrases connected back to some of the information about CAMH’s clinical and research programs that we wanted to tell people about, but there are an infinite number of such phrases out there. We will be featuring some recent examples from the media on our FaceBook page. We want to hear about what phrases most resonate for you.
Q: Why the “Defeat” slogan?
A: The slogan is “Defeat Denial. Help defeat mental illness”. We are speaking on the social level, calling on members of the public to help us to tackle the serious issue of mental illness together, first by examining their own attitudes that create a barrier to change.
Just as people have been asked to “conquer cancer”, we see mental illness as the challenge of our time, requiring a bold and definitive public response. This slogan is meant to be a rallying cry for a broad and inclusive social movement for change.
Q: Where does the statistic that as many as two thirds of people do not get the help they need come from?
A: Here are some sources for the statistic that most people with mental illness do not get the help they need:
Q: What kind of feedback have you had to the campaign so far?
A: The campaign has resonated with the clients, families, staff and stakeholders that we have heard from so far. Some of these people have spoken publicly in support of the campaign. We want to encourage a broader conversation about the campaign on our FaceBook page. In the second stage of the campaign this fall, we can adapt it based on the feedback we receive.
Q: By repeating phrases such as “it’s all in your head”, are you worried that you could be accused of perpetuating stigma?
A: In this campaign, we are tackling stigma head on. This campaign puts people’s tendency to deny or avoid or ignore mental illness into a very personal and relatable context that forces the viewer to self-evaluate and question their own actions, words and values.
We made the deliberate decision not to run a conventional healthcare campaign, but to take a provocative approach based on phrases that everybody could relate to saying or hearing. By challenging people to stop, think and question their attitudes to mental health and to CAMH, we are encouraging people to play an active role in making change happen.
Q: How long will the campaign last?
A: A two-week ‘teaser’ campaign (without naming CAMH) started in transit shelters on May 28, 2012. The campaign started in cinemas on June 8, in the Toronto Star Special CAMH section on June 9, and in all other venues on June 11, lasting until approximately July 9. That includes outside billboards, subways, radio, newspaper and online, with some banner newspaper ads lasting until July 16 and online lasting until July 23.
This is the first (and most ambitious) stage of a three-part awareness campaign. The second phase is scheduled for mid-September to mid-October, 2012, and the third for Feb-March 2013.
Q: How do I find help for myself or my loved one with an addiction or mental health problem?
A: It’s usually best to start with your family doctor or clinic if you have one. A great resource for locating mental health, drug use and problem gambling services in your community is ConnexOntario, which has staff available 24/7. CAMH specializes in complex cases; information about our programs and services (which may require a doctor’s referral) can be found on our website. Distress and crisis resources are available here.