Time To Change charity aims to expose what depression really looks like

You’ve likely seen it before: A photo of someone alone with theirhead in their hands to show you just how depressed a person is. It’s enough to make you shake your head and wonder: Why can’t the media stop using these overwrought ‘headclutcher’ images?

You’re not alone. British actor and advocate Stephen Fry is the latest to voice his disdain for these stereotypical images to depict mental health issues.

London-based charity Time To Change launched the Get the Picture campaign to shine a light on the issue and provide the media with free high-resolution alternatives to the often cheesy stock photos.

The charity recently conducted a survey of nearly 2,000 people and 58 per cent of respondents said that the ‘headclutcher’ image was stigmatizing, while 76 per cent said that it made others think that people with mental health problems should look depressed all of the time. Over 80 per cent also said the image did not convey how it feels to have a mental health problem.

Time To Change also encourages people to take a ‘headclutcher’ selfie and tweet it with the hashtag #GoodbyeHeadclutcher. Reaction to the campaign on Twitter has been largely positive.

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On this side of the pond mental health advocates are applauding the effort.

“Absolutely this is on the right track,” Jennifer Vornbrock, Vice President of Knowledge and Innovation, for the Mental Health Commission of Canada in Ottawa told Yahoo Canada News in a phone interview. “We are always seeing the same pictures.”

She says not using these photos will help to end stereotypes and the stigma surrounding mental health.

Vornbrock notes initiatives like Bell Let’s Talk have gotten Canadians openly sharing their experiences. It’s an issue that many of us deal with. According to the Canadian Mental Health Association 20 per cent of Canadians will personally experience a mental illness in their lifetime and about 8 per cent of adults will experience major depression at some time in their lives.

Leslie Dragon, Director of Marketing for Partners for Mental Health in Ottawa, thinks the Get the Picture campaign is a great first step. She adds having real people talking to others about their real-life issues is also a good way to reduce stigma and open up dialogue.

‘Headclutcher’ images are only part of the mental-health stigma picture. But, the experts agree, getting rid of these often head-slappingly silly images to depict complex mental health issues is a step in the right direction.