1. Speak from your experience
It can be helpful to share facts and figures to get people to understand the scale of mental health problems, but the most effective way to get people to think differently about them is to share how they affect you.
Try to share specific, clear stories that illustrate your experience. That could include:
- Times when you've experienced particular symptoms
- Particular conversations you've had about mental health
Top tip: recalling a specific story is always more powerful than speaking generally, so rather than saying "people always say x about depression", try to tell an anecdote about when a particular person said something negative and how it affected you.
2. Deal with one topic at a time
People reading or watching your content will have limited time and attention, so they're more likely to finish the post if it's concise and focused. Try to make sure each post answers a specific question; if you get tempted to wander onto another topic, make a note and save it for your next post!
A good way to test this is, can you come up with a title that clearly describes what's in the content? For example:
- Clear: "What it's really like to experience hallucinations"
- Less clear: "my mental health story"
If you find yourself making content that deals with lots of themes, could you simplify it and break it up into different posts?
3. Put yourself in your audience's shoes
Try to keep one objective in mind for each piece of content that you make.
It could be:
- I want this post to make someone feel less alone.
- I want to change someone's mind about a particular condition
- I want to persuade someone to stop using the phrase 'OCD' flippantly.
This will help you keep your blog or video as powerful and succinct as it can be.
4. Use accessible language
Using simple language and explaining any complicated jargon helps to make sure that everyone can take something away from your story.
Things to watch out for:
- Acronyms like OCD, BPD, CBT
- Technical words around mental health - like 'ideation' or 'dysthimia'.
It's fine to use these terms - just try to make sure that you unpack and explain them.
Example:
"I spoke about my diagnosis of obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD)...she told me she learned a lot about OCD after hearing my talk."
"At the time, I was experiencing hypomania - a symptom of my bipolar disorder where my mood was more 'high' and energetic..."
You could also consider linking to information on a website like Mind or Rethink Mental Illness so readers can learn more.
Top tip: if you have already explained something in detail in another blog or video, make sure that you link or refer to it so that the reader/viewer can go back and learn more!