Overcoming Mental Illness

In the five and a half years or so I lived here before returning to the UK there was very little postive action in promoting mental health awareness in Australia. Sure there was the odd poster here, the odd sign on a tram there, but that was about it.

To most Australian’s I met and spoke with mental illness seemed to be this pseudo-mythical condition which meant you should spend the rest of your life locked up in some institution somewhere never to see the light of day again.

Some may continue to think like that, sometime’s it’s difficult for people to fit into the widely expected Australian stereotype of ‘laid back surfer dude’ or ‘funky coffee shop chick’ when they are dealing with depression, anxiety, bipolar, schizophrenia or the like.

It’s also been my experience that a lot of people (not just in Australia) are not that interested in understanding what mental illness is or how it affects someone, as long as it doesn’t effect them.

Directly or indirectly.

As long as it doesn’t get in the way of their happy little life, I mean who needs someone suffering from mental illness to drag you down, eh? They’re just useless frackwits!

But since returning here about a month ago I’ve been pleased to see not one - but two - major campaigns running to assist in promoting mental health awareness; both by leading mental health charities in Australia.

The first is from SANE Australia, who have a print, television, radio and internet campaign running.

The national campaign features everyday street signs and billboards replaced with titles such as ‘depression’, ‘anxiety’ and ‘mood swings’ to represent how mental illness is a part of everyday life for many people – and the importance of identifying possible signs.

‘Friends and family are often the first people to notice the changes in behaviour or thinking that can be early signs of mental illness. SANE encourages people to have the confidence to act on their concerns as soon as possible and simplify what can be an overwhelming process by providing clear information and advice,’ says Barbara Hocking, Executive Director of SANE Australia.

The ‘Signs’ campaign has been developed through the generous support of award-winning ad agency, Commotion, and the TV commercial was directed by David Jagoda, renowned for his work on high-profile campaigns for Nokia, Ikea and MTV among others.

Find out more information on the SANE campaign and VIEW THE TV adverts here

The second is from Beyondblue: the national depression initiative who have also launched a radio, print and TV campaign.

There are six new TV commercials in the series and an additional one aimed at men, which has already been seen in rural areas across Australia.

Produced by Frontier Advertising in close association with beyondblue, each commercial provides a candid insight into the experiences of people with these conditions and how they hide their symptoms from friends, families and work colleagues.

The message is: “Helping someone with depression isn’t beyond you. For more information visit this website or call the beyondblue info line 1300 22 4636 (local call).”

beyondblue Chairman The Hon. Jeff Kennett said: “These advertisements are so real, everyone will be moved by the message and circumstances of the characters in the ads. The campaign will help beyondblue to get the message out that depression is common and help is available.”

Find out more information on the BEYONDBLUE campaign and VIEW THE TV adverts here

I have myself witness the SANE campaign in many locations, and only came across the BeyondBlue campaign today whilst visiting a public bathroom - only to be met with a poster regarding bipolar disorder.

According to the Beyondblue website this campaign was launched in 2006, and I’m sorry I was not aware of it running until now.

Having witnessed the SANE television campaign I can only applaud it, I truly hope both campaigns run and run and people start taking notice and broadening their understanding of this issue which affects so many lives not only in Australia but the world over.

I can only hope more campaigns are running like this the world over, if not, then they need to start. Which gets me thinking…how would you like to see a campaign run to raise awareness of mental health? How should it be handled? Any thoughts?