The initiative brings together nonprofits, businesses, brands, celebrities, and influencers to form the first large-scale commitment to change the way people talk about and address mental health, including destigmatizing mental health conditions. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), 1 in 4 people in the world will be affected by mental health or neurological disorders at some point in their lives. An estimated 450 million currently suffer from these conditions, making mental health disorders among the leading causes of poor health and disabilities worldwide. Though treatments are available, the WHO estimates that nearly two-thirds of people with a known mental health disorder do not seek professional help. Stigma, discrimination, and neglect of self-care are known barriers to seeking treatment for mental health disorders. Lack of information about available treatments and scarce resources also make it difficult for many individuals to source potentially lifesaving help. Cole’s coalition aims to shine a spotlight on this worldwide mental health crisis by addressing the stigma that affects people living with mental health disorders and building a community by connecting those in need to resources. The crucial first step of the coalition is to address the impact of the stigma on youth between ages 15 and 25. Research shows this is the age range when mental health disorders first appear, though treatment often doesn’t occur until many years later. Effective treatment at the onset of symptoms plays a critical role in positive outcomes. One goal of the Mental Health Coalition is to rebrand the language (both spoken and visual) used to describe mental health in an effort to empower people to talk more openly about it, embrace their mental health disorders, and seek help. “Mental health is where we were 20 years ago with HIV,” says Cole. “It’s so difficult to find your voice without fear of being diminished.” The logo of the Mental Health Coalition, created by Pentagram, incorporates the symbol of the square peg in a round hole to represent the feeling of failure to fit in that people suffering from mental illness can experience. The Mental Health Coalition believes that increasing mental health literacy will empower more people to seek access to care, and that begins with a change in language. “There’s a whole new vocabulary that’s nonclinical and nonstigmatized that will enable people to tell the world how they feel on an everyday, ongoing basis,” said Cole. Founding partners of the Mental Health Coalition include:
The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention Bring Change to MindChild Mind InstituteCrisis Text LineJED FoundationMental Health AmericaNational Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI)The Trevor Project
“I’m overwhelmed by the inspiring group of individuals and organizations who have agreed to join us in this critical effort to tackle an unprecedented crisis in an unprecedented way,” says Cole. “There is a role for everyone to play. We look forward to welcoming all like-minded organizations to join this collaborative effort at TheMentalHealthCoalition.org.”
