Social Issue Project Proposal

1. The social issue that I'm going to build my advertising campaign around is the glorification of depression in hollywood and other forms of mass media. Many movies and books that contain depression and suicide make it seem desirable to the viewer or reader, which in turn causes them to actually inhabit the mental disorder themselves, and this is something that I don't like. In addition, the depression of a lot of famous celebrities such as Robin Williams, Whitney Houston, and Winona Rider have been exploited through tabloids and the news, in some cases even after the disorder had taken their lives. Depression isn't a joke. It isn't something to be desired, or glorified, or romanticized, and I hope to advocate the end of this depression culture that some movies, books, and media heavily advertise.
2. My personal reason for choosing this is mostly because I think it's wrong. I know a lot of people who have struggled with depression, and I've seen the effects of it. I've seen how this encouragement of depression from movies, books, and other media can further depress people who struggle with it already, and I've seen people actually become depressed simply because current popular culture makes it cool.
3. People should be concerned about this because depression and suicide rates among teens and adults alike are fast on the rise, and I do believe that this is in part because of how popular culture has kind of changed to make it seem desirable. Movies and books like "The Fault in Our Stars," or "Silver Linings Playbook," and websites like Tumblr have made bad situations seem romantic, and in turn teens want to put themselves in those situations. And it may seem just like an artificial type of depression at first, but after a while it is real, and I hate to see people ruin themselves like that. 
4. I hope to motivate people by just showing how dumb it is to want that and show that depression isn't something to be desired. It's not romantic or pleasantly melancholy like how it is in the movies, it is a disease.
5. There aren't any non-profit organizations specifically associated with this cause, but there are a few articles about it, and some organizations that deal with just depression like the ADAA (Anxiety Disorders Association of America) and ASFP (American Foundation for Suicide Prevention). One article I found on the subject from the atlantic that describes it pretty well is here. http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2013/10/social-media-is-redefining-depression/280818/