IT'S OK TO SAY IF YOU DON'T FEEL OK
Dancing With The Black Dog is a registered mental health charity. Originally founded in Australia, we now have international reach.
The black dog is a widely-used euphemism for depression. We’ve therefore developed the Dancing With The Black Dog logo as a symbol that anyone can wear or display to show their support for sufferers of anxiety and depression, to convey the message that it’s OK to say if you don’t feel OK.
You don’t have to be suffering from anxiety or depression yourself in order to wear or display the dancing black dog symbol, because doing so does not mean you are saying “I suffer from anxiety or depression”. Rather, it means you are saying “it’s ok to say if you don’t feel ok” to anyone around you who may be suffering from anxiety or depression. As many as one in four people suffer in silence from depression or anxiety. Sometimes they come across as the happiest person in the room, yet on the inside they are in fact the loneliest.
So far, we've received order for more than 100,000 pieces of our merchandise, mainly from Australia and the UK. Postage is free on all orders, to anywhere in the world.
When it comes to anxiety and depression, we believe in the utmost importance of talking about your feelings, and encouraging others to do the same. And whether you suffer from a mental illness or not, we believe in a world where we can all have a means of conveying to everyone we encounter that it’s OK to say if you don’t feel OK. Which is why we launched our global “It’s OK To Say If You Don’t Feel OK” campaign in 2015.
Why Is This Important?
Nowadays, the stigma of mental illness is slowly but surely being eroded; more and more sufferers are seeking professional help. However, we still live in an age where we need to focus as much on getting people talking about their struggles as we do with providing mental health services. After all, an open conversation in a safe environment is often the first and most crucial step in seeking help.
Who Are We “Targeting”?
We are “targeting” anyone who would like to visually convey the supportive message “it’s ok to say if you don’t feel ok.”
Imagine, for example, if you are struggling with anxiety or depression, and your manager at work wears a symbol that demonstrates their personal support for mental illness. Or you want to talk in confidence to a mental health professional, and many of your colleagues and friends demonstrate their support in the same way. How much more comfortable would you feel in seeking professional help?
It’s about helping to create a silent but supportive environment.
To view video messages from our Official Ambassadors, as well as further celebrity / public figure endorsements, please click on the Our Ambassadors menu item.
Please note also that Dancing With The Black Dog is not affiliated with, endorsed or authorised by the Black Dog Institute in any way.