There’s a hidden message in UK mental health non-profit, CALM’s (Campaign Against Living Miserably), PSA by UK agency, Recipe. You can read it if you are using a computer with a mouse or a cursor. It’s hidden to show how easy it to assume that people are AOK by looking at what they show you on the outside.

The film, Read Between The Timelines, shows England rugby champion, Joe Marler, being interviewed after a winning match. It’s a “pretty standard” interview he notes to camera before he invites the viewer to hover their cursor over the YouTube timeline to reveal a hidden message and get the real story. This message shows his inner struggle. Marler recently opened up about his battle with depression. The strength of the campaign lies also in the fact that he plays in one of the most macho sports.

According to CALM, it commissioned the campaign after its research showed that 84% of men admit to bottling up emotions and 44% saying they suppress their emotions at least once a day. Feelings of loneliness and isolation, it added, had also increased among men during coronavirus lockdowns in the UK. Male suicides are at a two-decade high.

Simon Gunning, chief executive officer of CALM, noted, “There are 18 deaths by suicide every day in the UK, with 75% of those being male. That is unacceptable. Like Joe, we all go through tough times, whether it’s the breakdown of a relationship, losing a job, financial worries, or going through a bereavement. But as men we sometimes we try to mask our emotions and put on a brave face.

“That is why now, more than ever, we must continue to challenge a culture that prevents men from opening up and seeking the help they need. It’s important we open up and talk about how we feel, and to not always take things at face value if you think someone close to you is feeling down.”