The role brands play in mental health awareness is at a crossroads.
To understand my perspective, you should know that my path to marketing wasn't typical. It started in the Marine Corps as a Combat Correspondent. I spent a year in Afghanistan chronicling the counter-insurgency work of the Fighting Fifth Marines in Southern Helmand Province. But the most gratifying experience I had was the time spent with those Marines, getting to know their individual stories in the effort of documenting their lives for their friends and families back home.
There were also tragedies and hardships. At the time, I felt pretty lucky for somehow being resilient under the circumstances. But in truth, I didn't realize that I carried stresses and anxieties into other jobs years later. Finally prioritizing my mental health, and the effort it took to do it, has made me more sensitive to how marketers approach the subject.