Mental Illness
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SE5Ip60_HJk
This is part of a mental health initiative that was shown in schools and went online late September. It’s now due for a limited release in the cinema.
Mental health, eh?
I can’t claim to know a great deal about the subject, but I did once have a bit of a weird turn around 1998. I arrived at work as normal then felt a massive urge to hide under my desk and start crying. Not sure where that came from, and by the end of the day I felt much better, but when I mentioned it to other younger creatives at my agency a couple of them revealed that the same thing had happened to them. I wondered if it had anything to do with the large indirect financial pressures that are sometimes placed on very young shoulders. No one comes out and says that this million pound production budget has a hell of a lot riding on it, but under the surface that’s all quite clear and everyone knows it.
I think HR departments are a little more comprehensive these days, but I don’t think there’s much in place to catch people on the way down.
If you want to read more, this post is quite interesting.
If you’re going through anything, try NABS, or visit your GP.
I like how it doesn’t go for the drama and attention whoring these subjects usually drag along with them.
Top post.
As much as I like this I find it strange how much more I see about mental health stigma and dealing with those with mental illnesses (can’t find the right words to express that) than how to recognise mental health problems, either in yourself or others.
It’s all well and good saying ‘don’t be a dick to someone with depression’ but do people still in school know what mental illness looks like? I sure as hell didn’t and I was depressed (though maybe that was part of the problem).
Mental health is a huge issue so I’m pleased to see positive step forward. Still, I’d love to see something successfully tackle the signs and symptoms of mental illness and what you can do then, not just what to do once you’ve found out which is what most ads do at the moment.
Very good point @theawkwardstag.
I flipped out a couple of years ago – I think it was a few months coming but I’d put a lot of pressure on myself to get a better job and felt trapped in the one I was in when I was struggling to move agency.
I ended up developing a sort of body dysmorphia where you find fault with your appearance and focus on it. I think as a way of ‘fixing’ the problem which actually has nothing to do with your appearance. I read a book about it to try and figure out what the hell was wrong with me, and interestingly it said people who are good at art related things (I’m an art director) are more likely to develop this due to having a sort of more highly tuned ability to critique things visually. It’s quite funny I suppose that I tried to art direct myself.
Did the client kill you?
Dunno – this is a big and important issue and this ad just feels a little big nothingy. Feels like a waste of a good brief. Great kid actor though.
I think mental health issues are very complex but also very individual and can effect people differently so maybe there aren’t a “standard list of things to look for. I really like this spot. Great acting but also very simple and direct. This is not meant to make you feel sorry for him just be a bit more understanding. The truth is more people than you think have had moments in their life when they have had to deal with something like this and I thank you for sharing your experience with us all.