Major depressive disorder (MDD) affects approx. 40.3 million people across Europe, and it is the leading cause of disability worldwide. In 2004, depression cost Europe approximately €118 billion, which corresponded to 1% of the total economy.

The current standard of care is SSRIs/SNRIs, but these oral treatments have a slow onset of efficacy (3-8 weeks), and up to 1/3 of patients do not achieve complete remission. Despite this, treatment has changed very little in 30 years, leading to resigned acceptance of suboptimal outcomes, which means patients’ suffering often continues longer than it should.

Our task was to encourage clinicians to recognise treatment failure sooner, and to act earlier in order to help their patients finally achieve remission. By communicating a consistent disease awareness narrative, we aim to redefine expectations in MDD and begin to restore hope for both patients and HCPs.

In our film we show how the shadow of depression engulfs a patient over a period of time, leaving them isolated from the world around them, even in their own home.

We see how the longer a patient lives with depression, the more of their personality, passion and hopes were left behind – until they fully succumb to the disease and turn into ‘a shadow of their former selves’. A feeling often described by those who are ‘unresponsive’ to all current treatments for MDD.