This study is ingrained on the conventional wisdom that mental health problems are distributed the population. Additionally, this study notes that the mental health problems are concentrated in different segments of a population. Empirical contributions have established that in the UK, one out of four people are diagnosed with the mental health disorders annually (Spekowius & Wendler, 2013). Premised on the findings of the empirical studies, the number of people experiencing mental health problems is significantly distributed across the population.
Further statistics ingrained on the survey done in England in 2014 determining the distribution of mental disorders across the population demonstrate the magnitude and distribution of the problem (Porzsolt & Kaplan, 2014).
| Mental health problem | Distribution/10 people |
| Depression | 3 |
| Anxiety | 5 |
| Suicidal thoughts | 4 |
| Post-traumatic stress | 3 |
| Panic disorder | 2 |
Additionally, mental health problems that include bipolar disorder and schizophrenia have been found to concentrate in different segments of the population.
Implications of irregular distribution for Marketing
Mental health services that are geared towards addressing the disorder should be meet the ethical and fair advertisement standards. Since the application of these services directly impacts on human life, no margin of error ought to be accommodated. Besides, regular distribution of these mental health services is advocated for to enhance equity of the services across the population. It is worth noting thatmany advertisements have been openly criticized for propagating misleading and exaggerated claims concerning mental health products and services being advertised (Porzsolt & Kaplan, 2014).Irregular distribution of the mental health services will negatively impact even distribution and service delivery of the mental health services across the population.
Sensitivities in Marketing
Individuals responsible for marketing mental health services should be aware of the sensitive aspects surrounding conducting of the promotion activities. As elucidated by Spekowius & Wendler (2013),the barriers that industries face in their bid to market their products and services to multicultural populations is undoubtedly lesser than barriers in the healthcare sector. The strict barriers imposed in marketing the mental health services can be attributed to the growing competitiveness in the sector and most importantly the patient’s health. There should be no margin of error in marketing communications since these services directly impact on the individual health. As such, marketers should be aware of the fact that misrepresentation of facts during promotional campaigns is unethical and sensitive.
Marketing in the affected Population
Product advertisement plays a crucial role in creating primary demand of products and service to consumers. Advertisements not only stimulate product and service distribution but also build brand preference and loyalty. Further, it helps create awareness to consumers to try a variety of new products and services in the market. The fact that healthcare facilities lose money to mental health patients does not translate to withdrawal from marketing on the affected population.
However, the question on to what extent do advertisers have an ethical responsibility not to mislead the public has been a long standing one. Thus, hospitals should market in the affected population but embrace ethical marketing practices.
Social Marketing
Advertising products and services is a social process (Spekowius & Wendler, 2013). Since the mental health problem has been recorded in vast populations, this study establishes that healthcare organizations should adopt social marketing of mental health services critical in order to enhance accessibility of the vast affected population.
References
Porzsolt, F., & Kaplan, R. M. (2014). Optimizing Healthcare: Improving the value of Healthcare Delivery Services. New York: Springer.
Spekowius, G., & Wendler, T. (2013). Advances in healthcare technology: Shaping the future of medical care. Dordrecht: Springer.