Bermuda should be more aware of the effects of depression and how it can be recognised and addressed following a one-month campaign.

Organised by the Bermuda Mental Health Foundation, the “Message In A Bottle Campaign” aimed to improve depression awareness and suicide prevention on the island.

After the campaign ended this week, Foundation spokeswoman Jodi Lewis said: “We hope that through this initiative, people will be more educated on depression and suicide, the myths that surround them and the resources available for those in need. If we acknowledge the problem and talk about it, people will hopefully feel more comfortable trying to find help.”

The destigmatising initiative, also known as #MIABC, was funded via a $5,000 donation from the Weekenders Running Club, after two of its members lost siblings to suicide.

Two hundred glass bottles were distributed around the island with USB sticks containing advice, information and a video account of depression featuring former Royal Gazette reporter and acting editor Jeremy Deacon. Residents were challenged to locate a bottle, view its content and sign that they had seen it via a special link.

An 8-by-12-foot canvas was also displayed in the Washington Mall, the Bermuda High School for Girls, the King Edward VII Memorial Hospital and the Mid-Atlantic Wellness Institute.

It urged people to “Leave a message for those who are suffering from depression in silence, or who may be considering suicide as an option”.

For the final two days of the campaign, the canvas was placed on the City Hall front lawn for the public to view.

The numerous messages written on it included: “Someone out there loves you”, “Don’t be too hard on yourself”, “Ask for help”, “There is a place in this world for you” and “Keep hope alive”.

A change.org petition also allowed people to share their messages of hope online, while the Bermuda High School made an awareness video to view at the BMHF Facebook page.

• For more information, visit www.bmhf.bm or call 400-5634. If you or a loved one suffers from depression or is considering suicide, call the Mid-Atlantic Wellness Institute’s crisis hotline on 236-3770.