Not All Pains are Visible.

Mental illness and physical illness have always been viewed differently. A visibly physically ill person often gets immediate sympathy from people around them. Unlike a broken arm, which can be detected by an X-ray and is visible with a cast, mental illness is often invisible to the eye, unless shown through obvious behaviours.

People with depression are often viewed as lazy and isolated, those with anxiety as shy, quiet, and nervous, and those with bipolar disorder as straight-up crazy. Simply put, people with physical illnesses receive sympathy, while those with mental illnesses are often judged, stigmatised, and ignored.

This ad campaign for Kleenex, in partnership with Mind, a UK mental health charity, aims to make the “invisible” illness visible and raise awareness of mental health during Mental Health Awareness Week in May. After all, IT IS AN ILLNESS, and it deserves the same level of compassion given to someone with a physical illness.