Educating individuals about their mental health stems from the creation of an environment where people are encouraged to come forward and discuss these issues. In your stories about mental health, consider how the following tips can help your audiences to feel more comfortable discussing this topic and seeking help when needed:

• It is important to differentiate between the meaning of mental health, or emotional well-being, and mental illness, a condition causing impairment of normal cognitive functioning.
• Make an effort to focus on discussions of recovery, management of an illness or prevention. The media can be helpful in depicting the struggle, issues and support that people need and providing local resource information.
• Human Resource personnel are reporting that the number of insurance claims for stress-related problems has increased because people don't want to talk about depression, suicide or bipolar disorder; but they are all in the spectrum of mental health. Consider portraying the impact of mental health within the workplace and the importance of seeking help when needed.