# Presentation: 619451

## Campaign for Mental Health Recovery Phase 2 Multicultural Campaign

**Rowena Tse**
**September 11, 2008**

## The Issue

- 24.6 million Americans suffer from a serious mental illness
- Prevalence of serious mental health conditions is highest among young adults, yet they show the lowest rate of help-seeking behaviors

## The Issue cont. 

- Misperceptions associated with mental illness is one of the biggest barriers to recovery
- Striking disparities in mental health care found for racial and ethnic minorities

## The Issue cont. 

- Minorities have less access to, and availability of, mental health services
- Those in treatment often receive a poorer quality of mental health care

## Communications Objectives

- Broaden the community of acceptance
- Promote social inclusion, positive attitudes, beliefs and behaviors toward people with mental illness
- Educate and empower friends and family to step up and support their loved ones through recovery

## Expert & Research Findings

- Young adults are more alike than different in terms of their social and media habits
- Community and family support as important as peer support
- Cultural upbringing influences perceptions of mental illness
- Barriers to support and recovery

## Expert & Research Findings

- General lack of education
- Perceived lack of resources
- Campaign must not stereotype based on race/ethnicity

## Culturally Influenced Perceptions:   Chinese

***“******Saving Face”***
- Mental illness is seen through a narrow lens of pressure and performance.  Pride, avoidance of shame, and not losing face inhibit many from asking for help and treatment, although many believe that recovery is possible.

## Culturally Influenced Perceptions:  Native American 

***“******Associative Hopelessness”***
- Associate mental illness with other pervasive illnesses in their community, esp. alcoholism.  Believe that relapses will occur and a full recovery is almost impossible.  Some distrust of majority culture institutions.  Huge disparity on understanding mental illness between those who are more acculturated vs. those who are less acculturated and live on the reservations.

## Culturally Influenced Perceptions:  African American

***“******Weakness of Character”***
- Mental illness reflects the inability to cope with life’s challenges.  They are often too occupied with priorities, responsibilities, and challenges to dwell on mental health. Also, years of discrimination have honed a deep-rooted pride, that inhibits them from admitting to mental issues, which equate to weakness.

## Culturally Influenced Perceptions:  Hispanic

***“******Acculturation Pains”***
- Perceive mental illness as intrinsic to the acculturation and immigration process.  Depression is often seen as a weakness of character. Often equates mental illness in children with lack of discipline.

## I realized that I don’t know much about the topic, now I’m intrigued. This is an important matter.  You can have a person close to you that suffers from a mental health problem and they don’t tell you and you don’t know. 	

*	**    **- Un-acculturated male, NY*

**Hispanic**
***“******Acculturation Pains”***

## Some of these problems are just excuses. Our society is coming up with more of these... 

*  **	** **- Acculturated  female, **	**   **	**	**NY*

**Hispanic – Additional Quotes **
***“******Acculturation Pains”***

## I was raised you never abandon your family, no matter what. It would have to be my very close friend for me to help.  It would not be easy to go and visit a person that is not your close friend.     - Un-acculturated male, NY

**Hispanic – Additional Quotes **
***“******Acculturation Pains”***

## Depression is something you can control. - Acculturated female, NY

-       *- Un-acculturated        **	**male, NY*

**Hispanic – Additional Quotes **
***“******Acculturation Pains”***

- Depression is something you can control. -* **Acculturated female, NY*

## [We need to] encourage our people, show them that it’s okay, that it’s not a bad thing to seek help. 

- -* Male, NY*
*- Male, NY*

**African American**
***“******Weakness of Character”***

## If they’re not making enough money, can’t pay rent, can’t pay water bills, it’s a build up...mental pressure.

*- Male, NY*
*- Male, NY*

**African American – Additional Quotes**
***“******Weakness of Character”***

## My family is from Nigeria.  People there don’t have time to be crazy. People in the US have time to be depressed.  In Nigeria, people don’t have time to sit and mope.

*Female, NY*

**African American – Additional Quotes**
***“******Weakness of Character”***

## You can be tolerant, positive, and supportive.  You can be supportive, talk to them, guide them. It depends on severity. 

*- Female, NY*

**African American – Additional Quotes**
***“******Weakness of Character”***

## I believe that if I really wanted to help a person, I could help them.

*- Male, LA*

**African American – Additional Quotes**
***“******Weakness of Character”***

## There is always hope for recovery.

- - *Female, LA*

- I have a lot of love.  I would care for you.  I would not discriminate.
*- Male, NY*

**Chinese**
***“******Saving Face”***

## Pressure, past failures, loss, environmental problems like everyone around them gives them stress ... then they believe they are failures.

*- Male, NY*

**Chinese – Additional Questions **
***“******Saving Face”***

## Chinese – Additional Questions 

*- Female, NY*

**Chinese – Additional Questions **
***“******Saving Face”***

## Chinese – Additional Questions 

*- Male, NY*

**Chinese – Additional Questions **
***“******Saving Face”***

## I don’t know what I would do, but I would be there for him because it sounds like he doesn’t really have anyone to talk to. He has

- no hope. He needs a friend.
** ***- Female, Buffalo*

**Native American**
***“******Associative Hopelessness”***

## I don’t think [a mental health problem] is an illness. It’s more of a habit. 

*- Female, Buffalo*

**Native American – Additional Quotes**
***“******Associative Hopelessness”***

- I don’t think [a mental health problem] is an illness. It’s more of a habit.
*- Male, Page*

## I would feel bad and worried for him, and I’d be there for him. I know it’ll take a long time to find a way to recover.

* **- Female, Buffalo*

**Native American – Additional Quotes**
***“******Associative Hopelessness”***

## Native American – Additional Quotes

*- Male, Phoenix*

**Native American – Additional Quotes**
***“******Associative Hopelessness”***

## While different cultural backgrounds and a general lack of knowledge lead young adults to hold different misperceptions towards the issue ... 

... one common insight remains true 

*... **one common insight remains true** *

## Close friends and family are the key sources of emotional support for young adults, especially when it comes to mental health problems

- Step up to help support a loved one recover from mental illness

**Core Idea**

## The Opportunity

- Develop a multicultural campaign to impact the lives of multicultural young adult consumers by targeting their close friends and family to provide critical support needed for recovery.

## Core Idea: Step up to help support a loved one recover from a mental illness

|  | Hispanic |
| --- | --- |
| Strategy | Be the one who brings hope and help that will change the life of a dear one who suffers from mental illness |
| Support | Emphasize that family/close friends are essential to recovery
Stress the importance of educating yourself on what your family/friend is going through
SAMHSA can help by providing easy access to information that will enable proper treatment and long term support  |

## Core Idea: Step up to help support a loved one recover from a mental illness

|  | African-American |
| --- | --- |
| Strategy | Step up and share your strength with a loved one who’s recovering from mental illness |
| Support |   Equates seeking help with strength and love, instead of weakness |

## Core Idea: Step up to help support a loved one recover from a mental illness

|  | Chinese |
| --- | --- |
| Strategy | You can step up now and make a difference in the lives of your loved ones and help them recover |
| Support |   Emphasize that recovery is a journey of healing and transformation, enabling people with a mental health problem to live a meaningful life in their community of choice, while striving to achieve their full potential |

## Core Idea: Step up to help support a loved one recover from a mental illness

|  | Native - American |
| --- | --- |
| Strategy | They’d be there for you. Why don’t you be there for them? |
| Support |   Their culture reflects individuals taking care of their people.  The message reinforces the value and importance placed on helping the people of their tribe/community
   Emphasize acceptance and support from peer to peer  |

## Desired Action and Tone

**What do we want them to do?**
- Listen to, respect and respond to your loved ones who need your help
- Go to in-language/in-cultural landing section of whatadifference.samhsa.gov to learn more about mental health and what you can say or do

## Desired Action and Tone cont. 

**What is the tone?**
- Culturally-sensitive, supportive, trusting and empowering

## How Grassroots Organizations Can Get Involved

- Grassroots media outreach is key to promoting the multicultural campaign on a local level
- Local ethnic media is the campaign’s greatest ally

## How Grassroots Organizations Can Get Involved cont. 

- Committed to local issues (esp. if relevant to ethnic segment)
- Trusted voice and trusted source of information in their communities

## How Grassroots Organizations Can Get Involved cont. 

- Local celebrities as spokespeople – DJs and newscasters are especially influential in the community
- Leverage media relationships and be a good partner

## Leveraging Media Relationships 

- Examples:
- Providing media outlets with locally/ethnically relevant information and key talking points so that they can become true advocates of mental health recovery
- Engaging them beyond just donate media – partner on public affairs programming, developing issues-oriented content, community-based events

## Contact Information

- Rowena Tse
- Campaign Director
- The Advertising Council
- 212-984-1925
- rtse@adcouncil.org
- www.adcouncil.org