Video contest ‘Hope In 40 Seconds’ aims to put mental health in spotlight

Every Filipino is eligible to join an animated digital video competition that aims to shed the stigma of depression and seeking mental health care.

"Hope In 40 Seconds" is a contest run by the non-profit organization Natasha Goulbourn Foundation (NGF) in partnership with the Department of Health and the UP Junior Marketing Association (UPJMA), with the support of Globe Telecom.

Each entry must be in digital video format and should not exceed 40 seconds long.

Every 40 seconds

The video length and the competition name are taken from a sobering statistic from the World Health Organization: every 40 seconds, a life is lost to suicide somewhere in the world.

Designer Jean Goulbourn, who founded the NGF in 2007 after her daughter's death by suicide in 2002, wants "Hope in 40 Seconds" to help change that statistic. "It is making, in 40 seconds, a decision: I will change my life now. It is all about the freedom to choose," she said on Tuesday at a media event for the video competition. "It's about empowerment. Do I want to live, or do I want to die? That decision one can make in 40 seconds."

Hopeline

Every video entry must prominently feature the NGF's round-the-clock phone counseling hotine, Hopeline. Established four years ago, Hopeline employs responders trained by psychiatrist Dr. Cornelio Banaag and his team. There are currently 12 responders based in Cebu, six in Manila (with two relievers), and another 12 at the National Center for Mental Health (NCMH).

According to Hopeline's records for the period from January to June this year, the top reasons for people calling are: (romantic) relationship problems, depression, gender issues, sexual abuse, and (family) relationship issues.

Hopeline program head Mila Rollinas said that they experience a spike in the number of calls they receive after a notable death by suicide. The people calling in for someone to listen to their troubles range in age from 75 to as young as seven years old.

For someone in distress, "Hopeline is there as a cushion, a reminder that there may be something more to life," said Goulbourn.

Shedding the stigma

While depression is not limited to the young, the EHO found that suicide has become the second leading cause of death for people aged 15 to 29 worldwide—making it imperative that young people battling depression must be offered support and understanding.

"It's really time for the youth to not be afraid—to realize that the stigma [of depression] is over, it should be over, and it's a new year for this advocacy," said UPJMA Spark The Movement project head Regina Mison, who approached the NGF with the contest idea.

Contest rules

The 40-second video must be in any one of several digital video formats (.flv, .wmv, .mov, .avi, .mpeg or .mp4). The videos must not promote illegal behavior or show support for "racial, religious, sexual or other invidious prejudice", say the contest rules.

The deadline for the submission of entries is at 5 p.m. on August 15, 2016.

The winners will be announced on September 10, 2016 (World Suicide Prevention Day) at a ceremony at the Globe Tower in Bonifacio Global City, Taguig City. —KBK, GMA News

For more information about the "Hope In 40 Seconds" competition, visit UPJMA's Spark The Movement Facebook page or email hopein40seconds@gmail.com.

The Natasha Goulburn Foundation's Hopeline is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Its numbers are 804-HOPE (804-4673), 0917-558-HOPE (0917-558-4673) and 2919 (toll-free for TM and Globe).