Over 63 million Americans serve as unpaid caregivers to family members or loved ones, and more than 70% of U.S. caregivers report symptoms of anxiety and depression. Today, the American Psychiatric Association (APA) Foundation is announcing an expansion of its public education campaign, Mental Health Care Works, to include resources and messaging that provide support to caregiving individuals.
Family caregivers often prioritize caring for their loved ones over caring for themselves, which can lead to burnout and mental health conditions. The new additions to the Mental Health Care Works campaign seek to address the prevalence of symptoms of mental illness in caregivers and let them know that support is available, and they are not alone.
The Mental Health Care Works campaign, launched in 2023, connects with audiences through stories of personas who confront their mental health conditions by taking the step to seek professional support. The campaign is distributed through public service announcements on TV and radio, advertising in public spaces, and the website mentalhealthcareworks.org. Mental Health Care Works announcements and videos have been seen or heard over 844 million times to date.
A new campaign persona, nicknamed Sandra, cares for her elderly father and her two children while working full-time. Her story is designed to resonate with caregivers who are happy to be caring for their families but feel as though they’re losing themselves in the process. Also new in the campaign this year: the APA Foundation launched a new Resource Hub on mentalhealthcareworks.org. The Hub provides easy-to-understand information about mental health conditions and treatment options, and it encourages people to seek care when needed.
“The prevalence of lifetime depression is higher for caregivers than for non-caregivers. We are trying to help families meet the moment with these new resources. We also hope that millions of caregivers, from parents in the ‘sandwich generation’ to grandkids looking after their grandparents, will feel seen, heard, and be inspired by this new and vital addition to the campaign,” said Rawle Andrews Jr., Esq., the Executive Director of the American Psychiatric Association Foundation.
The Resource Hub includes 12 fact sheets designed to help people recognize signs of common mental health challenges, learn how to find free or low-cost mental health care, and support themselves or loved ones on the path to treatment and recovery. To complement the campaign’s new focus, the Foundation developed “Caring for Yourself While Caring for Others,” a fact sheet that offers caregivers actionable steps to protect their mental health and information on when it may be time to seek professional help. The APA Foundation envisions a future where caregiving responsibilities are acknowledged in the workplace, caregiving responsibilities are divided among community members instead of falling on a single person, and caregivers are aware of accessible mental health resources. Join the Mental Health Care Works Campaign movement and learn more about caregiver mental health at mentalhealthcareworks.org.
American Psychiatric Association Foundation
The American Psychiatric Association Foundation is the philanthropic and educational arm of APA. The APA Foundation promotes awareness of mental illnesses and the effectiveness of treatment, the importance of early intervention, access to care, and the need for high-quality services and treatment through a combination of public and professional education, research, research training, grants, and awards.