Growing demand for content related to mental health awareness first came onto our radar in early 2019. If you look at what's been happening in American media, the demand makes sense. Public conversation about mental health awareness experienced some positive strides this past year and it doesn't seem like that will change as we move into 2020. A strong movement to de-stigmatize mental illnesses and treatment is underway and playing out on the public stage.
Erasing the Stigma
Mental health topics have experienced a huge jump of 40% growth in search volume overall. On Storyblocks Video, searches for meditation are up 93%, addiction are up 75%, help are up 66%, depression are up 30% and recovery are up 20%-and that doesn't even cover the more specific searches related to these topics.
Prominent pop culture icons, politicians and media figures have been opening up about their personal relationships with mental health, inspiring the general public (particularly younger generations) to do the same. Recently, SoulPancake and Funny or Die partnered to produce Laughing Matters a documentary-short detailing the struggle with mental health many comedians experience. The doc features high-profile comedians and actors like Rainn Wilson, Sarah Silvermana and Wayne Brady, to name a few. Many of these popular figures have, until now, mostly kept their struggles out of the public eye.
With topics like addiction and recovery, the national opioid crisis remains in the national spotlight, being covered in documentaries, news, and even political campaigns. It played a large role in the 2016 U.S. presidential election discourse and will undoubtedly be a part of the 2020 elections as policies and remedies continue to be discussed. The current democratic candidates have all shared their positions and proposals to date.
The Relationship with Social Media
Although mental health awareness is being covered in a variety of media platforms from news to podcasts to advertising, we predict that social media will play a major role in elevating the conversation in 2020. Social campaigns like #worldmentalhealthday have dominated Twitter, Instagram, and more with posts about awareness, personal stories, and more.
Being that mental health is such a personal experience, it's not surprising to see that social platforms are where the trend is rising. Within the creator community, there is a growing movement to acknowledge the burnout and mental stress that influencers like YouTube stars experience. It was an alarmingly dominant topic at this year's annual VidCon convention.
Stock Media's Role
As mental health awareness becomes a bigger topical focus and is featured widely in the media, we need to talk about the importance of authenticity in mental health imagery. The subject is particularly difficult to represent visually.
For example, mental health conditions and illnesses are complex and there isn't a singular face or expression that represents each one. However, we should strive to shift away from representing depression with an over-exaggerated frown, or recovery with yoga on the beach. The stock media industry has a role to play here, and all content creators have an opportunity to help shape public discourse through the visual representations used. The more effort that's put into learning about the nuances of mental health and utilizing authentic imagery, the more we can de-stigmatize mental illnesses and help further the conversation.
The Future of Mental Health Conversations We hope that mental health awareness isn't a passing trend, but the start of a movement to normalize open discussion about mental health and end the stigma. It will be one of the most important topics to follow in 2020 and one we'd like to see continually grow.
See all the creative trends for the coming year in our 2020 Trends Guide
Tell Your Story
Most recent headlines
25/12/2025
Holiday lights are twinkling, hot cocoa's on the stove and gamers are settling in for a well-earned break.
Whether staying in or heading on a winter getawa...
24/12/2025
What is AI good for? Posted by MTI Film on December 24, 2025
What is AI good for?
What is AI good for?
It's been three years since ChatGPT first cap...
24/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
24/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
24/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
24/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
24/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
24/12/2025
Back to All News
The Boyfriend' Season 2 Unveils Heartwarming Trailer, Key...
24/12/2025
Back to All News
Love, Fights, and Everything in Between: Badly in Love' Returns for Season 2
Entertainment
24 December 2025
GlobalJapan
Link copied t...
24/12/2025
Scripps Research study links sleep variability with sleep apnea and hypertension How consumers' digital activity trackers could enable personalized health s...
23/12/2025
How guilas Cibae as Dominican Winter League Games Are Locally Produced for Glob...
23/12/2025
BitFire's Jim Akimchuk on Supplying Scalability and Customization in the Clo...
23/12/2025
CAMB.AI Enables European Athletics to Offer Multi-Language SupportPlan is to eventually offer translation into all languages spoken in EuropeBy Ken Kerschbaumer...
23/12/2025
Analysis: As sports media values trend negative, scarcity and quality are king By Callum McCarthy, Editor-at-Large
Monday, December 22, 2025 - 14:08
Print ...
23/12/2025
ESPN, Disney, and NBA Return to the Animated Altcast Fray With Second Edition of...
23/12/2025
End the Year on a High Note and Donate to the Sports Broadcasting Fund Today! By Ken Kerschbaumer, Editorial Director
Tuesday, December 23, 2025 - 12:25 pm
...
23/12/2025
The year is winding down, the weather outside is frightful, and it's the perfect time to escape into a story that warms the heart. For listeners looking for...
23/12/2025
A Zeus motor is hot fire tested at L3Harris' Camden, Arkansas, solid rocket ...
23/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
23/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
23/12/2025
Lightware will exhibit several major product innovations at ISE 2026, including the new USB-C BOOSTER-V1, Google Meet. integration for various Taurus UCX models...
23/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
23/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
23/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
23/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
23/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
23/12/2025
Taking the Stage at Carnegie Hall-On a Global Scale Boston Conservatory Orchestra students reflect on their epic concert marking the 80th session of the UN Gene...
23/12/2025
Back to All News
Netflix's The Great Flood and Culinary Class Wars 2 Top Gl...
23/12/2025
Back to All News
Stranger Things By the Numbers: How the Global Phenomenon Shap...
23/12/2025
Experience the power of WO Automation for Radio's newest service, the System Effectiveness Review. Designed to help you achieve more, a System Effectiveness...
23/12/2025
23 Dec 2025
VEON's Beeline Kazakhstan and Rakuten Symphony Collaborate to A...
23/12/2025
Back to All News
How Steamy Can It Get? Single's Inferno' Season 5 Pre...
23/12/2025
Back to All News
33 Million Global Viewers on Netflix Watched Jake Paul vs. Ant...
23/12/2025
New technique lights up where drugs go in the body, cell by cell Scripps Research scientists developed a technique that maps drug binding in individual cells th...
22/12/2025
SVG New Sponsor Spotlight: Presidio's Neerav Shah on the Role of Its Captiva...
22/12/2025
Hitting the bullseye: Sky Sports readies itself for the biggest PDC World Darts ...
22/12/2025
Unique skillset: Bringing new directors to the world of darts at The Worlds with...
22/12/2025
Gravity Media prepares for a flight of fancy with the PDC World Darts Championsh...
22/12/2025
One hundred and eighty: Gravity Media on hitting the production bullseye at the ...
22/12/2025
The Famous Group's Jon Slusser on Fascinating Fans Through Immersive Content...
22/12/2025
ESPN's Meg Aronowitz on Continuing High-Quality Broadcasts of Collegiate Spo...
22/12/2025
ESPN Takes Data-Driven Storytelling to New Heights with MNF Playbook with Next ...
22/12/2025
For a decade, popular German podcast Fest & Flauschig has hosted an annual Chris...
22/12/2025
Paramount Scores Largest Share Increase Among Distributors as Paramount and CBS...
22/12/2025
New multi-year deal integrates Roku's data to fuel Nielsen's measurement suite
Roku gains access to Nielsen's streaming ratings, showing The Roku C...
22/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
22/12/2025
Berklee Wrapped 2025: Our Top News and Stories A look back at a year highlighted by faculty milestones, major film and television projects, Bob Dylan's ho...
22/12/2025
The works of Plato state that when humans have an experience, some level of change occurs in their brain, which is powered by memory - specifically long-term me...
Growing demand for content related to mental health awareness first came onto our radar in early 2019. If you look at what's been happening in American media, the demand makes sense. Public conversation about mental health awareness experienced some positive strides this past year and it doesn't seem like that will change as we move into 2020. A strong movement to de-stigmatize mental illnesses and treatment is underway and playing out on the public stage. 
