There is a still a giant stigma on mental illness and letting others know that you are on medication. The Wear Your Meds campaign is about wearing buttons that show 14 different psychiatric medications like lithium, Prozac, Xanax, Adderall, and many others. By wearing your buttons that lets others know what medication you are on, you can open up discussion to people around you and learn to embrace that you are taking medication to help with your mental illness.
How Did This Idea Come About?
Copywriter Lauren Weiss was diagnosed with Bipolar II in 2017 and felt like she could manage without taking medication. This led her to experiencing deep depression, manic upswings, and days where she did not know which of her feelings were real. She wanted to believe that she could get better without having to take medication to avoid being labeled as “crazy.” But then when she was 28, she was tired of feeling like a failure for not admitting that she needed help in which she was prescribed Lamictal. She felt like she was able to be more herself while on the medication instead of having to experiencing mania and depression when she was without. She says on her website that if she knew that this medication would have helped her function better, she would have started on this prescription a long time ago. Her motivation for creating the Wear Your Meds campaign started off as an assignment for the Miami Ad School of New York to create a unique ad campaign, turning into a movement.
What Does It Means When You Wear a Button?
Wear a button with a picture of your medication will show that you are willing to share about how your medication has helped you. Wearing these buttons will also help you not feel alone in taking this medication as you may come across someone else wearing a button of the same medication that you are on. This will help break the stigma of mental illness and to be proud that you are getting help and encouraging others to do the same.
How Much Are the Buttons?
The buttons are $3 and all of the proceeds will be donated to the National Alliance on Mental Illness which helps billions of people struggling with mental illness. You can buy your buttons on the campaign’s official website at https://www.wearyourmeds.com/buttons.
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