Part 1

MENTAL HEALTH MATTERS

Part 1: How I Got Here

Some days are detrimental to our collective mental health.

The tragedy of September 11th, 2001 occurred three months before I graduated from college with a Marketing degree. In an increasingly uncertain world, I began my career as a sales representative for one of the world’s largest pharmaceutical companies.

At that time, there was no social media, no Netflix to stream, and no AI to consult with, but it was the height of direct-to-consumer advertising for pharmaceutical companies, and as a result, self-diagnosing and pharmaceutical use was on the rise.

I spent my workdays in and out of psychiatry offices and mental health centers across two states promoting products for depression, schizophrenia, bipolar, and ADHD, and later in Neurology offices with another top pharmaceutical company promoting medications for Multiple Sclerosis and Parkinson’s Disease.

I SPENT NEARLY A DECADE STUDYING THE BRAIN, THE MIND, AND THE NERVOUS SYSTEM.

While I delivered resources, medication samples, branded office supplies, and many staff meals, I also learned to read medical studies, pick out key selling points, gain access to busy clinics, and change people’s minds. 

Thanks to television and magazine advertisements, powerful marketing messages, and budgets from deep pockets, three of the five medications that I sold during my career were “blockbusters,” a title given to medications that generate over $1 billion in sales annually.

For a short time, I helped train new sales associates, and I enjoyed the challenges and rewards of working in sales, twice winning “Sales Specialist of the Year” for exceeding company goals.

For nearly a decade, I LISTENED AND LEARNED.

This is Part 1 of 4 of Mental Health Matters.

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