Depression Awareness part 1

There are no words, pictures, or designs that can truly explain how a person struggling with depression feels. If you haven’t actually experienced depression, it is nearly impossible to understand. Watching a loved one go through it and not being able to help is the definition of helplessness. Depression is something that I deal with every day of my life. It is an issue that does not get enough attention because in my opinion, it is so misunderstood. Not everyone who has depression wants to hurt themselves, it isn’t about that. There are days that no matter how hard you try, you just can’t get out of bed or off of the couch. You don’t answer the phone or go out in public because you just can’t put on the fake happy face anymore. Feelings of emptiness, hopelessness, and an overall lack of enthusiasm consume your every thought. For many people, it feels as though there is a literal weight on your chest.

For my awareness poster, I wanted to do the best I could at expressing what it’s like for a person with depression every day of their lives. The green ribbon is the Depression awareness symbol so that is why I chose to use a green background. I also wanted to show that people who suffer from depression are aware of the good things in life, by incorporating the flowers on vines. They are reaching upwards to show hope. The woman lying on the ground with a blank expression on her face is just existing, but the weight of the bricks on her chest make it impossible to get up and experience life. And trapped inside her is a child screaming in pain. I am hoping to keep this poster as simple as possible, but I also wanted to add the words in order to properly convey my message.