PRESS RELEASE
For Immediate Release
April 20, 2009
For more information, contact:
Dottie Jeffries, 212-752-0450, ext. 29; djeffries@apsa.org
Psychoanalysts coin New Psychological "STDs" for
National Mental Health Month (May)
New York, NY- Psychoanalysts have taken the hook of “STD’”s, well known to today’s teens, and hung upon it a new conceptualization of psychological “STD’s” in an effort to increase teens" awareness of prevalent psychological ailments and how to address them.
Posters are a proven cultural communications vehicle in public space, popular still with teens otherwise fixated on all things digital, and The American Psychoanalytic Association (APsaA) took advantage of this phenomenon by developing a new poster focused on “Psychological STDs” (Stress, Trauma, and Depression) to serve as the heart of a new outreach effort to teens which is debuting to the public for National Mental Health Month (May).
APsaA worked with a graphic designer to create a 24" x 36" poster that addressed the adolescent fascination with sexual activity, while outlining three of the most commonly experienced teenage psychological ailments. The “Psychological STDs” are defined as “Stress, Trauma and Depression.” A pensive teen girl provides an illustration of the deeper issues at play in the poster’s text.
For each of the “STDs,” a definition is provided along with suggested psychoanalytic treatment approaches. For instance, the difference between normal mourning behavior and chronic depression is outlined. The text offers an affirming message: “Psychoanalysis holds that by understanding on a deeper level what’s going on now and its connection to your past, you can experience relief from the current bout of depression and enjoy life again.”
"To me, the poster represents a new level of achievement for APsaA's public information outreach efforts. The STD theme is incredibly arresting, and the twist, changing the meaning of STD from the common one of sexually transmitted diseases to the newly coined mental health message, grabs the viewer and keeps her focused and thinking for a prolonged period of time. I think the twist and the new message are powerful tools to combat the micro attention span of most teens (and older Americans), commented APsaA President Prudy Gourguechon, M.D.
The new poster introduces basic psychoanalytic concepts, many of which are the foundation for the myriad therapies that have evolved since Sigmund Freud developed psychoanalysis, in an engaging, eye-catching way.
An additional resource is the Education Division of APsaA's website featuring a special section for high school educators http://www.apsa.org/TRAININGANDEDUCATION/EDUCATIONINITIATIVE/PRECOLLEGE/tabid/198/Default.aspx which includes:
·A fully annotated lesson plan for addition to high school social science curriculum, “Freud’s Impact on the 21st Century".
·An article entitled, “Catching Them Early: Teaching Psychoanalysis to High School Teachers.”
·Links to APsaA Web pages such as: Q & A about Dreams; Q & A about Guilt, Apathy, & Violence; Psychoanalytic Perspectives about Dreams; and The American Psychoanalyst Special Section on Dreams.
Copies of the poster are available in APsaA's Online Store for $10.00 including shipping . For more information about the poster, contact Dottie Jeffries at djeffries@apsa.org, 212-7520450, x29.