LLC looks to change social stigmas associated with mental health

Mental illness affects one in every 10 teens and young adults, according to the Mental Health Foundation.

Fortitude LLC, co-founded by IU student Lauren Morton, is working to change those numbers.

“The stigma attached to mental illness makes it hard for [teens and young adults] to talk about their disorder and seek appropriate help,” said Joseph Myers, co-founder and a senior at Manchester University. “I believe that Fortitude’s message can help to change those stigmas and help people realize that they are not their illness and can overcome it.”

The campaign’s target audience is young people age 15-25 because these people are choosing a college to attend, finding the right job and trying to succeed in everything they do, Morton said.

“We think this age group is so important because of the pressures they face in their day-to-day lives,” she said.

So far, Fortitude has a supportive audience of women ages 40-50, who are the mothers of children facing anxiety, depression or other mental health problems, Morton said.

Morton said Fortitude’s overall goal is to make sure those people don’t feel alone and help them gain the strength to overcome it.

Created by Morton and Myers, Fortitude officially became a privately-owned limited license company in early January.

Morton said the original idea for the company was sparked by a lecture given by her psychology professor on theories of mental resilience.

From there, she said the company has become a brand and a community.

“The brand owns the intellectual property of our logo and designs and is what drives sales of shirts and other potential future merchandise,” she said. “Sales of these items are intended to create awareness and create a sort of figurative meeting ground to talk about the issues of mental health concerning young adults.”

The overall focus is promoting good mental health and wellbeing.

To do this, Fortitude just launched its first campaign, “Fortitude for All,” through a program called Booster.

It is a 22-day campaign run through the online custom apparel printer CustomInk.
Morton said the campaign is similar to Kickstarter in that it will run for a finite amount of time. Products will be distributed after the end date. The company has set goals for
itself and supporters.

“For our first sales, we really wanted to involve our supporters in the process,” she said. “We think that by having our goals made public, our supporters can be as excited as we are to meet them and see the project continue to grow.”

White T-shirts with “Strength of mind is peace of mind” on the front are being sold to
raise awareness for mental health issues in teens and young adults. As this is the very first campaign, they also hope to get their company’s name out there.

The campaign launched Monday for private sales and was officially announced through social media Tuesday. It will run through March 11.

Morton said Fortitude will donate 50 percent of its profit from the campaign to a charity or organization yet to be chosen that supports awareness and research of mental health concerns.

“We ultimately want Fortitude to be the platform or the vehicle that inspires a cultural change for our generation,” she said.

“We can’t make the change alone, we can only provide the resources and a rallying
ground to talk about what’s important. The changes have to come about from people who value mental health and strength.”

Follow reporter Grace Palmieri on Twitter @grace_palmieri.