With all the events going around us, there are moments in our lives when we just want to sit and do nothing all day long. Yet, if this is a recurrent theme in one’s life, they risk being tagged as “lazy.” Doing nothing but staring at the walls or sleeping way too much are not always indicators of careless behavior. Actually, one might have such an attitude because they are experiencing symptoms of depression. And the worst part? Some are not even aware that is because of such a disease that they feel like being drained of energy.

Knowing how to differentiate laziness from symptoms of depression is highly important, as this condition can negatively affect one’s quality of life. Sadly, in the Middle East, more than 66% of all cases go undiagnosed, mostly because of the stigmas associated with mental health issues. To raise awareness about this and encourage people to ask for help, Dubai Science Park teamed up with Thrive Wellbeing Centre to launch a new print/OOH campaign, aimed at making people understand that depression shouldn’t be mistaken for their flaws.

So, maybe it’s not laziness, procrastination, or slacking after all… Maybe these are clues showing that one might be overwhelmed…

Contoured by Serviceplan Middle East and illustrator Jiawen Chen, the “Hostages of Depression” campaign manifests via three posters, each offering the audience a chance to look at how the life of an undiagnosed patient unfolds. As hypersomnia or oversleeping is one of the most obvious signs of chronic depression, the feeling of being trapped is symbolically illustrated using a bed.

The campaign’s starting point is that “depression is not your fault.” The consequences of not catching the symptoms of depression at an early stage mean that the undiagnosed patients will find themselves further away from recovery, with their self-doubts growing in intensity as time passes. Via this campaign, the Dubai-based agency seeks to encourage people to free themselves from their own thoughts and fears, stop doubting themselves, and ask for help.

Commenting on the initiative, Oussama Founi, Associate Creative Director, Serviceplan Middle East, says: “To visually represent how undiagnosed depression can incapacitate you, we created 3 unique and striking visuals. Illustrated by hand and then colored digitally using hues that evoke an emotional response. The feeling of being stuck in a vicious cycle of self-doubt was metaphorically represented using a bed.”

Each poster includes a QR code which, once scanned, directs users to Thrive Wellbeing Centre webpage, where they can take a two-minute test and find out if they have any symptoms of depression. Although the test is not the same as getting a clinical diagnosis, it might be the first step in breaking this vicious cycle of self-doubts fueling depression and vice versa.

Credits:

Client: Dubai Science Park // Thrive Wellbeing Centre

Managing Director, Dubai Science Park: Mawran Abdulaziz

Executive Director, TECOM Group: Reem Shaban

Marketing Director, TECOM Group: Saad Yusuf

Marketing Manager, TECOM Group: Amy El Askary

Psychologist & Managing Director, Thrive Wellbeing Centre: Dr. Sarah Rasmi

Agency: Serviceplan Middle East

Chief Creative Officer: Akhilesh Bagri

Worldwide Executive Creative Director, Serviceplan Group: Jason Romeyko

Creative Director: Saleh ElGhatit

Creative Director Ande Couto

Associate Creative Director: Oussama Founi

Associate Creative Director: Sameer Suri

Art Director: Oussama Founi

Art Director: Saaniya Abbas

English Copywriter: Sameer Suri

Arabic Copywriter: Rana Ahmed

Managing Partner: Rami Hmadeh

Managing Partner: Natalie Shardan

Managing Partner: Azhar Siddiqui

Client Servicing: Ramy Abdelrehim, Kathleen Angeles

International Communications Officer: Lee Sharrock

Mediaplus:

General Manager: Charbel Jreijiri

Director, International Markets: Vishwa Mohan

Digital Media Director: Suprashv Adarsh Chopra

Media Manager: Tareq Al Masri

Caper Illustration

Illustrator: Jiawen Chen