Don’t Judge a Book by Its Cover

Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM) put out a campaign titled “The Last Photo” in which they put a deep emphasis on the fact that sometimes it might not be noticeable from the outside that someone is struggling with suicidal thoughts. The campaign was geared towards reducing the stigma of suicidal thoughts by starting conversations to help prevent suicide. By having these conversations and making people with suicidal thoughts more comfortable talking about what they are going through, no one has to struggle alone.

The campaign included videos that were of people laughing, doing silly trends and overall looking like they are completely fine. However, the video includes text near the end that mentions these were the last videos taken of people who decided to take their own life. This in incredibly powerful in demonstrating that depression and suicidal thoughts do not look a certain way. People can smile, laugh, and seem as if they are having a good time but still be struggling internally. The campaign also included personal stories from family members about the people behind the videos and photos.

Source: https://www.thecalmzone.net/thelastphoto

Reading through the personal stories, I found myself tearing up. It all seemed too familiar. I struggle with depression and have struggled with dealing with suicidal thoughts at different times in my life. I see a part of myself in these personal stories. Many of the personal stories touched on how the families had no idea that their loved one was going through a hard time because they were an overall bubbly and happy individual. But that is the essence of depression and suicidal thoughts. Depression is not easy to spot because a lot of people cope with it internally which makes it more challenging to fully combat depression. Depression cannot be fought against alone and often needs the help of other individuals to talk about what is going on inside your head with the depression.

CALM’s campaign “The Last Photo” resonates with me in a deep way because I was reminded that suicide is a permanent solution, and one cannot go back on this choice. People living with depression and suicidal thoughts often commit suicide in a moment where they feel like there is no better option than to take their own life so they do not have to struggle anymore. CALM reminds their audience and anyone who comes across their organization that suicide is not the best solution and talking through problems and feelings with a registered professional can immensely help. I have been in therapy for 4 years now and I can confidently say that it has saved my life. Having a trusted individual to talk to on a bi-weekly basis is helpful in talking through what I am feeling, figuring out why I feel the way I do, and coming up with tangible solutions to make me fight against depression. “The Last Photo” is a good reminder that people are not always feeling how they may seem on the surface and could be struggling with something deep down. That is why kindness is key because you never know what someone might be dealing with.