Dubai Science Park's Illustrative Prints Raise Awareness About Depression

Hypersomnia or oversleeping is one of the most telling signs of chronic depression. Due to the stigmas associated with mental health issues in the Middle East, over 66% of all cases go undiagnosed. Serviceplan Middle East collaborated with Dubai Science Park and Thrive Wellbeing Centre on this new print/outdoor campaign, to raise awareness on the subject and encourage people to seek help.

The campaign is comprised of three beautifully crafted print ads for Dubai Science Park and Thrive Wellbeing Centre that use simple but arresting visuals juxtaposed with a thought-provoking tagline, which succinctly capture the pain and suffering experienced by many people going through mental health issues. Jiawen Chen is the illustrator behind the poster artwork. 

The insight behind the campaign was that depression is not your fault. When symptoms of depression are left undiagnosed, they can dig you deeper into self-doubt and push you further away from recovery. The approach of Serviceplan Middle East was to inform people that what they’re mistaking for flaws in themselves, could be symptoms of a common mental illness. WIth 'Hostages of Depression', they wanted to tell people to stop doubting themselves and know that it’s okay to seek help.

Dubai Science Park, a community for healthcare businesses and professionals, briefed Serviceplan Middle East on the issues behind the campaign. Dubai Science Park are known in the Middle East region for fostering an environment that supports research, creativity, innovation, and passion, ensuring a supportive ecosystem for businesses to establish sustainable and positive change. Medical health is an important aspect for them, and they want to steadily progress this conversation. 

Serviceplan Middle East and Dubai Science Park partnered with Thrive Wellbeing Centre, a leading mental health clinic in the UAE, that believes in helping people accomplish their goals, developing a test.  

The test was based on the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9), an easy to use test that is a self-administered version of the PRIME-MD diagnostic instrument for common mental disorders. It helps identify the frequency and severity of depression symptoms and helps people determine if they need professional help. The PHQ-9 test widely used to screen, diagnose, monitor, and measure depression.

Oussama Founi associate creative director, Serviceplan Middle East commented: "To visually represent how undiagnosed depression can incapacitate you, we created three unique and striking visuals. Illustrated by hand and then coloured digitally using hues that evoke an emotional response. The feeling of being stuck in a vicious cycle of self-doubt was metaphorically represented using a bed.”