Invented Word Aims to Aid Mentally Ill

Coast Medical Care, a Canadian organization that helps the mentally ill with housing, employment and emotional support launched, with help from Grey, a campaign that centers around the invented word, psychosiphobia. The campaign consisted of local newspaper ads, radio, television and a street campaign. The street campaign involved painting the word psychosiphobia on the pavement at a Vancouver intersection that is the dividing line between a business district and a troubled neighborhood rife with homelessness, drugs and prostitution.

Many of the city's mentally ill end up crossing over to the lesser side of this intersection because of a losing battle to mental illness. The campaign drew a proverbial line in the sand with the word. Volunteers handed out information to pedestrians and directed them to the website if they had any questions. While The Homeless Guy does have access to the Internet and blogs about homelessness, we wonder how many homeless or near homeless people truly have access to the Internet. No matter, it seems to have been a noble effort to prevent a few souls from crossing over to the bad side of life. The campaign can be viewed here.