Public health prevention and information campaigns are key tools for public health institutions in their efforts to reduce the risks associated with disease and its consequences. The field of mental health in general, and depression in particular, has been the focus of public information campaigns in several countries over the past 20 years. The objective of this article is, through a systematic analysis of their content, to highlight the underlying logic governing the content of these campaigns and to examine their potential effects, particularly in the context of controversies that may arise among professionals due to the existence of these campaigns and the messages they convey. The potential specific features of the French campaign launched by the National Institute for Prevention and Health Education (INPES) in October 2007 are given special attention. Indeed, this campaign represents a first step toward mental health prevention and education among the general population. Our analyses shed light on current trends in this field, the tensions inherent in it, and the importance of respecting and preserving these various facets, which are all ways of approaching the complex subject of mental health. They also situate the campaigns within the complexity of their underlying logic and context in order to provide the basis for dispassionate reflection among all stakeholders concerned with these issues. [author’s abstract]