In 2025, the Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health (LACDMH) continued a social marketing campaign rolled out in 2023 as part of prevention of and early intervention for mental health issues. This report presents a complete picture of the Los Angeles County residents reached by LACDMH’s Take Action for Mental Health social marketing campaign across the county population and an evaluation of the campaign’s potential impact in the county.

Evaluation of Los Angeles County’s 2025 Take Action for Mental Health Social Marketing Campaign

Rebecca L. Collins, Graham DiGuiseppi, Nicole K. Eberhart, Beth Roth, Samantha Matthews

ResearchPublished Oct 31, 2025

About one in five U.S. adults lives with a mental health challenge, and the rate is more than one in three among young adults 18 to 25 years old. The Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health (LACDMH) has conducted social marketing campaigns to promote mental health awareness and resources for several years. These campaigns appear to be effective in shifting stigmatizing attitudes related to mental health and promoting awareness and use of mental health services. This report presents a complete picture of the Los Angeles County residents reached by LACDMH’s Take Action for Mental Health social marketing campaign across the county population. The campaign was part of LACDMH’s goals for prevention of and early intervention for mental health issues. Take Action for Mental Health involved community events, advertising of community and mental health resources, and promoting community connectedness. 

For the 2025 campaign, surveys were conducted online and at LACDMH-hosted events to capture perceptions and immediate responses to these events. The events attracted local community members and were well received. The overall campaign reached one in four Los Angeles County adults and more than one in three youth. Among youth, the campaign was particularly likely to reach those experiencing recent psychological distress. Among adults, campaign reach was greater among those with lower levels of education and income. Overall, the campaign was highly effective at increasing awareness of mental health resources, and residents affected by the January 2025 fires said the events were very helpful in linking them to these resources.

Key Findings

  • Take Action for Mental Health Los Angeles County reached more than one in four Los Angeles County adults and one in three youth ages 16 to 25.
  • Among youth, the campaign was particularly likely to reach those with a history of either mental health challenges or treatment and those recently experiencing serious psychological distress.
  • Among adults, the campaign reach was greater among those with lower levels of education and income and Hispanic residents with a Spanish-language preference.
  • Perceptions of the campaign among county youth and adults, particularly the LACDMH-hosted events, were positive.
  • The campaign appeared to have an impact on targeted outcomes. Residents exposed to the campaign were more likely to report that they knew about mental health resources provided by LACDMH and those available in their communities.
  • Adults exposed to Take Action for Mental Health felt significantly more connected to their communities and also reported greater mobilization around mental health than their unexposed peers. This was not true of county youth exposed to Take Action for Mental Health.
  • Campaign events appeared to foster positive perceptions of and trust in LACDMH among county residents.
  • Take Action for Mental Health events hosted by LACDMH disproportionately attracted residents experiencing ongoing mental distress as a result of the January 2025 wildfires, and these residents perceived the events as very helpful in linking them to mental health resources.

Recommendations

  • Continue all arms of the campaign, each of which appears to contribute in an important way to the broad and diverse audience reached by Take Action for Mental Health and to audience engagement.
  • Notably, the statement “I know how to take action for my mental health” did not show any differences related to campaign exposure among adults or youth. If the county considers this knowledge a priority, it could be helpful to add specific recommendations to the incitement to “take action.”
  • Take Action for Mental Health exposure in general and attendance at Take Action for Mental Health events in particular was greater among residents who were fire-distressed. LACDMH might wish to keep this in mind in terms of future support and assistance to populations affected by wildfires or other potentially traumatic collective events.

Topics

Document Details

  • Copyright: California Mental Health Services Authority
  • Publisher: RAND Corporation
  • Availability: Web-Only
  • Year: 2025
  • Pages: 44
  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.7249/RRA4114-1
  • Document Number: RR-A4114-1

Citation

Chicago Manual of Style

Collins, Rebecca L., Graham DiGuiseppi, Nicole K. Eberhart, Beth Roth, and Samantha Matthews, Evaluation of Los Angeles County’s 2025 Take Action for Mental Health Social Marketing Campaign. Santa Monica, CA: RAND Corporation, 2025. https://www.rand.org/pubs/research_reports/RRA4114-1.html.
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This evaluation was funded by the LACDMH, via the California Mental Health Services Authority (CalMHSA), and carried out within the Access and Delivery Program in RAND Health Care.

This publication is part of the RAND research report series. Research reports present research findings and objective analysis that address the challenges facing the public and private sectors. All RAND research reports undergo rigorous peer review to ensure high standards for research quality and objectivity.

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