CANADIAN MENTAL HEALTH ASSOCIATION BEGINS AWARENESS INITIATIVE
By Adnews Staff
The Canadian Mental Health Association began an awareness effort in conjunction with the start of Mental Health Week yesterday. The campaign encourages Canadians to question their attitudes about who gets a mental illness. Two 30-second television commercials, created by Naked Creative Consultancy, introduce a character called Depression who surprises people in a mailroom and a washroom. The character asks a series of questions intended to illustrate that life events such as the loss of a job or a spouse can trigger depression. In a radio ad, singer Chantal Kreviazuk says there is nothing shameful about mental illness. A print ad has also been produced. The television and radio creative has been distributed to media outlets nationally. The campaign will run for the next year. Public relations for the association are handled by Cohn & Wolfe of Toronto.