We were commissioned by Benenden Health to develop the creative, illustration, copywriting, storyboarding and animation for a very important topic in todays society; Mental health support for young adults back in 2018… the work is still highly relevant now… even more so – and in fact, not just for young adults!
#worldmentalhealthday
A younger person in your life may understandably be concerned or feel overwhelmed right now; they might be anxious about their own health, or the heath of someone in your family. Likewise, they could be finding social distancing hard to deal with.
In fact, research carried out by Benenden Health found that a third of parents have seen a negative impact on their children’s mental wellbeing since the outbreak of coronavirus. Despite this, 37% of parents haven’t tried to source help.
It’s important to remember that you may not have all the answers, but you can help to contain their fears and anxieties by simply being there.
The animation we created for Benenden Health was supported by Dr Mohammed Munawar, clinical psychologist and principal clinical lead, about the step’s you can take to help a young person suffering with signs of anxiety and depression.
You can check out the steps here
The animation concept
The creation of a cloud-based character to visually represent the impact of mental illness on a vulnerable young adult.
Storm clouds cast a dark shadow, constantly forming and moving in unpredictable ways. Often, their presence is only noticed at their optimum, when the clouds quickly combine and thicken in the sky, and the downpour begins.
In an abstracted form, this is the exact principle we are trying to avoid for young sufferers of these illnesses and challenges, encouraging them and their loved ones to be considerate and aware of any potential trigger changes in the “calm before the storm”.
The ‘umbrella of support’ parents can offer to their children will also be visually represented and celebrated through a vibrant use of colour, within a predominantly monotone, greyscale animation.
We believe that it is important to identify ‘the illness’ and the ‘sufferer’ as two separate beings, to subtly suggest hopes of detachment and distance – an idea that can be played on throughout the animation.
We worked closely with one of our good friend, Mark Winter, from Dog Eat Cog, to produced the finished animation.
Inspiration
An important, poignant and notable theme reference for our work was the ‘I had a black dog, his name was depression’ animation that the World Health Organisation (WHO) released in 2012
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XiCrniLQGYc
At its worst, depression can be a frightening, debilitating condition. Millions of people around the world live with depression. Many of these individuals and their families are afraid to talk about their struggles, and don’t know where to turn for help. However, depression is largely preventable and treatable. Recognising depression and seeking help is the first and most critical towards recovery.
In collaboration with WHO to mark World Mental Health Day at the time, writer and illustrator Matthew Johnstone tells the story of overcoming the “black dog of depression”. More information on the book can be found here: http://matthewjohnstone.com.au/
For more information on mental health, please visit:
It has never been more pertinent to educate families about the early signs of mental illness.