When our society and our entire culture gets behind a cause, we can really make a difference. And it’s happened before. Back in the day, littering made public spaces look awful but we got together and did something about it. We created an owl mascot and, more directly, changed our way of thinking. We got together on causes like smoking and drunk driving and while those problems have not been eradicated, we got better. Back then, mental health and the stigma around it did not receive the same treatment and the cultural representation was more about cartoon depictions of straight jackets and padded rooms. But the tide has finally turned, society has woken up to mental health, and we’re tackling it in a variety of ways from, as described in this episode, eccentric stickers to athlete statements to political bipartisanship. This awareness comes at a good time as we’re fighting a societal mental health crisis.

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The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 988 or 1-800-273-8255, 1-800-273-TALK

Crisis Text Line: Text HOME to 741741.

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John’s acclaimed memoir, The Hilarious World of Depression, is now available in paperback. https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250209566/thehilariousworldofdepression

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