Introduction
I want to create a persuasive that will increase the rate of college students seeking treatment for mental health.
Goal
The goal of the campaign is to destigmatize, educate, encourage, and stimulate mental health aid for students on campus. The primary objective is to increase mental health service utilization by students. This can be measured on a quarterly basis via statistics from student counseling services as well as potential private providers if they are willing to share general data regarding the number of students utilizing these professional services and whether there is a percentage increase from previous years and quarter over quarter. Measures such as unique patients as well as repeated visits can be helpful.
Another secondary goal is to make mental health aid more accepted in the student community, so even though a student may not need aid at the time, they would be willing to consider it or recommend it to their friends at times of need. Something like this can be measured through a self-response survey measuring attitudes via scales. Overall, mental health is a complex topic, so stimulating mental health service utilization is a difficult topic. It is not a one or even two-step action. For most people, it is an in-depth evaluation and consideration of their behaviors and needs. Therefore, the approach has to be wholesome to include education about it, starting public discourse, and reducing stigma around the topic. The goal is for students to feel comfortable and actually utilize mental health services in situations where they feel something is wrong or unusual about their mental state.
Target Audience
The primary target audience is the students at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, as this is where the author of this campaign attends. The topic is also directly aimed at college-level students, so anyone attending any type of college (community, part-time, full-time) as well as more advanced education programs (master’s and Ph.D.) can benefit. The campaign is aimed at students in academic settings of all types. As a relatively large school, it is likely that there are students that fall into the statistics discussed above that suffer from a mental health condition and are reluctant or unsure how to receive psychiatric help. The level of emotional and mental disturbance plays an essential role as well. There are spikes in decreasing mental health rates among international students, those who are targeted by bullying, and those who are adjusting to college workloads (Bouchrika, 2020). While not all students are equally in the risk zone, the current situation with high-stress levels from COVID-19 and lockdowns puts everyone under pressure and makes professional counseling more essential than ever.
Revision
To answer the issues that were highlighted in my previous paper, I made several changes to some of its parts. First of all, I updated the statistics on mental health issues among college students that reveal prevalent factors and disorders (“2020 mental health in America – Youth data,” n.d.). Furthermore, I changed the data regarding the levels of mental health disturbance, as the statistics that I have found reveal a low percentage of students with emotional disturbance who are being sent to a proper support program. I have also changed the discussion of the relevance of mental health disturbance to highlight that some groups are placed under higher pressure that leads to an increased chance of developing a mental health issue.
Causes and Barriers
There are several key issues that must be considered when creating a mental health campaign. This type of social marketing that draws attention to an issue that was stigmatized in society for generations remains troublesome, as many students prefer to avoid revealing their feelings that they consider embarrassing. This fact is revealed in the low number of students who decided to seek help from a mental health specialist in the past year (“2020 mental health in America – Youth data,” n.d.). Moreover, the availability of a support group within their local educational facility may be lacking, with on-campus services often being deemed as insufficient (Bouchrika, 2020). Some students also have no means of getting information regarding the mental health services available to them, making alternative options for advertisement vital for consideration (Bouchrika, 2020). Bullying that continues to exist within the boundaries of some educational facilities can prevent students from using mental health services due to fears of being ostracized for such behavior (Bouchrika, 2020). These barriers must be adequately dealt with within the campaign’s scope.
Previous Campaign #1: Each Mind Matters
Description
The campaign that was created by the California Mental Health Services Authority aims to cover a vast majority of mental health issues through a complex network of services and associations. Its primary goal is to help others create a social safety net by providing free space to share one’s troubling thoughts, discuss life challenges and other adverse experiences (“Mental health,” n.d.). With the lack of focus on a particular issue, this campaign attempts to reach as many people as possible to normalize talking about one’s mental health with friends, relatives, and specialists alike. Throughout the years, this campaign has involved a number of volunteers, both individuals and organizations, in hosting events that aimed to assist people who experience stress, anxiety, depression, and other problems.
Strengths
“Each Mind Matters” was able to cover a variety of mental health topics and invite many specialists that were willing to help people in trouble. It allowed many others to acknowledge that everyone can participate in helping those who find themselves struggling with mental health issues (“Mental health,” n.d.). It also provided a collection of useful tips available to those who experience distress that could alleviate the issue through self-help (Moore, 2019). Its example shows the importance of wide coverage and assistance with connecting people with those who have similar experiences or are willing to provide help.
Weaknesses
The campaign has received heavy criticism after it garnered sufficient attention from mental health experts and advocates. Despite the well-placed intentions to assist those who suffer from mental health disorders, the campaign did little to nothing positive for those who experience more serious issues with their psyche (Moore, 2019). The letters that followed the article published by Moore provided an inside view of this campaign, further highlighting the issues with disregard toward people with severe mental health issues. Some participants who received help from this campaign were left on their own after a short interaction that did not provide any long-term solution to their problems (“How can every mind matter in a broken mental health system?,” 2019). To avoid getting stuck on a similar issue, I will attempt to cover all types of mental health issues, ranging from depression and anxiety to schizophrenia. Moreover, some cases require a direct intervention and will be addressed to a sufficiently qualified specialist.
Previous Campaign #2: Beneath the Surface
Description
The University of Wisconsin has launched a suicide awareness and prevention campaign called “Beneath the Surface” several years ago with the intention to increase student visits to counseling specialists. Its aim is to help others with acknowledging their issues and help others with dealing with theirs (Schlosser, 2021). The campaign specifically targeted students who were hiding their mental health issues instead of seeking help.
Strengths
This campaign succeeds at identifying and addressing the major topic that is otherwise often left without sufficient attention from the general public. The campaign does not only target troubled students but also ushers their friends to provide a helping hand when it is needed the most. Through motivational posters, signs, and similar message delivery systems it has successfully drawn public attention to the issue, causing an increase in visits to the local counseling center (Schlosser, 2021). I can use this campaign’s strategy to make advertising material more engaging and relevant to the target population.
Weaknesses
While the campaign’s outcome had a positive impact on students’ willingness to seek help, there is an issue with such an approach. Students who are hiding their depression and anxiety from others may have little to no social support among their peers and, in some cases, even be ostracized for their perceived weakness. This campaign relies on mutual help and motivation, while individuals in the direst situations may have no such luxury. In my campaign, I would abstain from transferring the duty of assisting those who are in need to people who may have no experience entirely by providing links to professional counseling services.
Previous Campaign #3: Know the Signs
Description
This campaign was also organized by the California Mental Health Services Authority, yet it had a more specific target audience, scope, and approach in comparison with “Each Mind Matters.” The goal of the campaign is to increase suicide awareness and provide knowledge for Californians to help individuals who appear to be suicidal. The website shares essential warning signs for different age categories, gives suggestions on how to begin a conversation on such a difficult topic, and ushers people to help others in a mindful way (“Know the Signs,” n.d.). Despite being a relatively old campaign, it remains up-to-date with modern mental health practices.
Strengths
The website created for this campaign has appealing visuals that make understanding an otherwise complex message that it attempts to deliver easy to comprehend. The positive messages that are presented among the possible talk points do not discuss suicide or its methods directly, neither do they depict the consequences of suicide in an attempt to scare people into helping others (Acosta & Ramchand, 2014). Moreover, the signs that are discussed in the campaign are based on the scientific evidence that was compiled by experts in this field (Acosta & Ramchand, 2014). Following this example, I will seek evidence that can be incorporated into my campaign to make it more accurate. I believe that sending only positive messages is also beneficial to any campaign.
Weaknesses
There are several weaknesses that prevent this campaign from reaching its full potential. The website, while highly useful, does not explain that not all listed methods are applicable to all individuals who find themselves struggling with their will to live. Some of its messages are too general, while others may appear unconvincing or outdated. Some signs that are listed among pointers toward suicidal behavior may be irrelevant in the context where such a discussion is held. I would like to show correlations between reasons that may point toward hidden mental health issues.
Conclusion
The campaigns presented in this paper provide a significant knowledge base that would be ideal for supporting the campaign outlined in the first paper. The outtakes from the strengths of these campaigns highlight several crucial ideas that add value to an initiative. First and foremost, the message must be easy to comprehend and delivered in an appealing way that would draw attention from the general public. Moreover, the depth of the messages must remain appropriate to the topic and the audience, with the most complex cases addressed by professionals.
These campaigns present valuable data regarding the methods of information delivery systems. They successfully convey the necessity to utilize persuasion techniques whose efficiency is supported by evidence. At the same time, they point out that not all channels of communication are equally beneficial for establishing a connection with the target population. Changing one’s beliefs regarding mental health issues is a challenging task that would require accurately tailored messages regarding the topic that would not draw attention to its negative aspects.
References
2020 mental health in America – Youth data. (n.d.). Mental Health America. Web.
Acosta, J., & Ramchand, R. (2014). “Know the Signs” suicide prevention media campaign is aligned with best practices and highly regarded by experts. RAND Corporation. Web.
Bouchrika, I. 50 current student stress statistics: 2020/2021 data, analysis & predictions. Research.com. Web.
How can every mind matter in a broken mental health system? (2019). The Guardian. Web.
Know the Signs. (n.d.). Suicide Prevention Awareness. Web.
Mental health. (n.d.). Each Mind Matters – California’s Mental Health Movement. Web.
Moore, S. (2019). We are in the midst of a mental health crisis – advice about jogging and self-care is not enough. The Guardian. Web.
Schlosser, L. (2021). UWO ‘Beneath the surface’ suicide prevention campaign: Pain not always visible. UW Oshkosh Today. Web.