In Stories, I just shared an ad I saw for one of the biggest MH apps in the world. The ad was a testimonial that read:
“I suffer from deep depression and am unable to sleep. Wow! OMG! It has helped with all of it. It’s an amazing app.”
…and just like that, we see what this industry is abt…& what it’s become: simple quick fixes.
“If you have this label, & struggle this way, take this pill or use this app, & your struggles magically go away.”
Peek behind the curtain from someone who started a MH org: Investors can be vultures. If you’ve created a brand or a product they see is having success in relating to the masses, they want in…& want in big.
Can’t tell you how many convos we’ve been approached on: “you have something big here, that can be huge…& if we invest it’s like kerosine on a fire…this will take off.”
Sounds intriguing when your goal is to help as many ppl as possible, right? Take the $, & see your brand & your product(s) get out there. If only “it” were that simple. That’s not how it works.
Outside of the app mentioned above, I saw another ad recently for a similar app. Their msg? “Get 10% happier in 10 days, guaranteed.”
Do we see a common denominator? When you take investments, the investors want a return: 2X, 3X, 5X, 10X, & beyond. But how do you deal w that pressure to perform when investors are breathing down your neck? You defer to SALES tactics that are simple & not fair or responsible to sufferers: you tell them that you have the quick fix to what ails them.
Of course this not only gives false hope to the sufferers. It gives a green light to those who don’t think MH applies to them, to ignore it, bc IF they are “unlucky” & they “get it,” there is a miracle answer out there that will cure them right away.
I’m tired of seeing “meds & talk therapy,” alone, as the gold standard treatment modalities. I’m tired of apps that have singular modalities making the claims above.
This post too, will get suppr&ss&d, bc it reveals the dirty truth in this space, but it’s gotta be said. Don’t fall for this stuff. Let’s hold hands & educate on the WORK it takes to be mentally healthy.
