“Where does our silence go when we refrain from expressing our feelings?” This question is going around on social media, and expresses the motto of the new campaign created by Leo Burnett TM for the NGO CVV – Centro de Valorização da Vida (“Center for the Appreciation of Life”). Under the concept of “Silence can hide our loudest shouts,” the ads emphasize the importance of discussing our feelings in order to improve mental health.
The copy on the ads is presented in the form of literary narratives, and reveals the thoughts of people under emotional stress. The pieces show that people generally reveal their feelings only to themselves, in thought, without expressing their anguish to their friends and colleagues, therefore precluding the possibility of outside help. The texts are written so as to form the shapes of a building, a bridge, and a precipice, in order to show that such thoughts can lead to self-made traps.
According to Google Trends, in June the search for “mental health” reached the highest peak of the last 10 years in Brazil. Compared to June 2019, there was a 61% increase. However, if compared to the pre-pandemic period (February), the jump was of 70%. Among the main concerns related to mental health are anxiety, mental fatigue, and depression. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), in 2019 Brazil was the country with the highest ratio of people with anxiety disorders in the world, and took the fifth position in number of cases of depression.
There are no scientific studies proving that social isolation during the Covid-19 pandemic has increased the number of suicides, but it is a fact that being away from friends, work, and social interactions can trigger anxiety and depression. More than an awareness campaign, these pieces are an invitation for people to talk to each other. Call your friends, talk to your family at home, and don’t hesitate to dial 188 if you need help. We want to know: How are you doing?
