Celebrities raise awareness for mental health, From Deepika Padukone to Selena Gomez: Healthcare News Review

 21st October 2021    Healthcare 
 Paarul Chand

PRmoment's new 'The Healthcare News Review' column will look at the biggest healthcare news trends every week and analyse the communications implications of that.

Breaking the taboo around mental health

The last few months have seen a range of celebrities raising awareness on mental health by sharing their own challenges.

The most prominent among these have been super athletes Naomi Osaka and Simone Biles, who even chose to withdraw from major sports events to prioritise their mental wellness.

Post pandemic, mental health has acquired a higher profile. But the kind of focus that sports mega celebrities have been able to bring to the issue is unprecedented in recent times.

And this week, singer-actress, Selena Gomez, announced that she along with her mother is setting up her mental health platform, Wondermind, to help remove the stigma against mental health.

In India, Bollywood star Deepika Padukone, is the only major celebrity to set up a foundation for mental health, 'Live Love LIfe' and speak openly about her own challenges with depression.

Post that the tragic demise of Bollywood actor Sushant Singh Rajput become headline lines for months, however in that case the focus was more on controversy than mental health learnings.

Do all these developments mean that the stigma around mental health is finally lifting-probably not. But there is a tiny opening and for communicators that matters from the point of view of a brand as well.

What does this mean for communicators?

1) Employee mental health and wellness is emerging as a major internal communications focus.

2) While a discussion on mental health may not be openly done still, resilience will certainly be an outcome of the heightened awareness about mental wellness.

3) Top/ C-suite leadership mental wellness is a topic hardly discussed, but worthy of positive narratives.

4) Mental health and wellness policies at the workplace are important narratives. Culture follows strong policies. 

The other stories that made health news this week are:

1) A study by AIIMS published in medical bible Lancet Infectious Diseases  journal says Covaxin was only 50% effective against the Delta variant.

2) Last month the Centre announced that they would buy 1 crore Zydus Cadila Covid-19 vaccines, at Rs. 265 per dose. This vaccine will now be available in India's vaccine programme, with jabs being on offer as early as December. This according to an exclusive story by Economic Times' Teena Thacker.

3) The compulsory vaccine issue rages on, this week, 600 Google employees have circulated a manifesto questioning the firm's compulsory vaccine policy.

See you next week, if you want to share your views on the stories here, drop us a comment at @PRmomentIndia

Vaccine Marketing Startegy of the week

Why is the town of Mandsaur, Madhya Pradesh famous for opium production and the ancient Pashupati nath temple got to do with vaccines.

Well if you happen to live then and experience a case of the 'jab nots' , here is something to raise your spirits.

The government excise department has declared that if you fully vaccinated you can avail of a flat 10% discount at liquor shops.

Bottoms Up!

See you next week!

News Curated for PRmoment India by:

Impact Research and Measurement