Website helping to end stigma
SOCIAL media is helping a Plymouth-based mental health organisation to describe what it is like to have depression, and win it a new audience.
The Blurt Foundation is using the picture-led website Pinterest to use images to convey depression as part of its work to stamp out stigma which surrounds the illness.
Pinterest allows users to pin images to virtual pin boards. Fellow users can then 'like' what they see, or repin the item to one of their own boards.
Pinterest is the third most popular social media site behind Facebook and Twitter.
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The Blurt Foundation's boards, which are available to Pinterest users and non-users to see, can be found at www.pinterest.com/blurtalerts.
They have all ready been noticed by the BBC's Jeremy Vine and Total Politics. Now, the charity is encouraging supporters to create their own boards to raise awareness of the illness which affects one in five people at some point in their lives. The email campaign started yesterday .
Jayne Hardy, co-founder of Blurt, a community interest company (CIC), said: "At Blurt HQ, we know that explaining depression to someone can be as hard as pouring tea from a chocolate teapot. That's why we first started using Pinterest. We liked the idea that we could put together a visual of how depression feels. This board shows that we get it, 'it' being depression."
Supporters will need an account to start their own Pinterest boards. For help getting started, email info@blurtitout.org.
Comments
by blogtodi
Wednesday, August 15 2012, 6:20PM
“I suffered depression for 6 months. It was hard but a lot harder for the family around me...but stigma for an illness? I don't remember any stigma...”
by HaroldAMaio
Wednesday, August 15 2012, 3:27PM
“Life is sometimes contradictory:
"Website helping to end stigma" actually promotes it.
"to stamp out stigma which surrounds the illness" actually promotes it.
Harold A. Maio, retired mental health editor”