Learn to See the Sickness (American Mental Health Fund / Ad Council)
“Learn to see the sickness”
A 1986 campaign on the early warning signs of mental illness, launched by Jack and Jo Ann Hinckley, parents of President Reagan's would-be assassin, through the American Mental Health Fund they founded in 1983. Print, broadcast, transit and billboard ads sent families to a toll-free number.
- Years
- 1986
- Country
- United States
- Budget
- The Ad Council projected $25 million in donated space and time (UPI, 1986). Later Senate testimony, cited secondhand, put 1988 donated advertising at nearly $30 million.
- Topic
- Mental health
- Asks people to
- RecognizeSeek help
- Strategy
- Service linkTestimonial
- Channel
- OutdoorPrintRadioTV
- Audience
- AdultsParentsFamilies of people showing early signs of mental illness.
Evidence
NoneUnknown
Sponsor (who paid)
- Ad Council Ad Council (pro bono), campaign producer
- American Mental Health Fund NGO, sponsor
Credits (who made it)
Not recorded yet.
Sources
- Hinckleys launch ad campaign (UPI, 5 Oct 1986) news · 1986
Research notes
'cessation-service-link' is used loosely for the toll-free referral line (taxonomy gap: no general 'service-link' strategy). Agency and end year not found. One online thread alleges covert pharma links; it offers no evidence, so it is not used. Illinois Archives retrieval: no box number was found online. Candidate series are RS 13/2/207 Historical File 1941-97 (file list gives file no., material type, campaign name, agency, date), 13/2/204 Campaign Listings 1942-92, 13/2/218 Campaign Posters 1942-90, 13/2/214 Television PSAs 1963, 1971-92, 1997, 13/2/219 Campaign Files 1966-2004 and 13/2/280 Campaign Video Recordings.
Record cases/learn-to-see-the-sickness.json, updated 2026-10-22· Link to this campaign