I remember an acquaintance of mine discussing depression with me years ago in a time when speaking about mental health was still taboo. I had realised that he wasn’t himself and, eventually, after much prodding, I understood that things were far worse than I had thought. He had closed our conversation by saying: “Thank you for asking; no one else did.”

That conversation has stayed with me and a small part of it probably informed the way I am now. It is important to notice, it is important to ask, it is important to care. That’s why when I see scenes like the one that shocked so many last week, I am overcome with deep sadness, outrage and rage.

It is not hard for any of us to imagine our lowest points. We have all had them at one time or another. A bad break-up, the death of a loved one, failing an exam, being passed over for a promotion. That feeling of desperation stains you; it leaves a cold, metallic taste in your mouth.

Now, imagine feeling like that for long periods of time but not being able to move past it, however hard you push. You are exhausted, spent, you feel like the best thing you can do is not feel anymore. You don’t want to live when you feel like you can barely survive. You convince yourself that the world will be a better place without you.

You get up, get dressed, you make your way to Valletta. Maybe you think about the last things people have said to you, maybe you don’t. You arrive at what will be the last thing your eyes see, you ready yourself for oblivion but you are human and scared and you don’t know what’s coming next. A short distance away, a mob starts heckling you. They start saying the unthinkable, all but confirming your feelings of emptiness. Not only do they not offer any help but they loudly wish you a speedy death.

Watching this recorded on video was like something out of a surreal nightmare. I kept replaying it; I kept waiting for a shred of sympathy or empathy to creep into the faceless voices. I kept trying to understand what could motivate people to act this way towards someone they don’t even know, who has done nothing but unwittingly share one of the hardest moments of his life with a hostile audience and I have still come up with nothing.

There is still a lot to be done when it comes to mental health and how we treat others- Anna Marie Galea

There will never be any justification good enough for what was said and for the way this man was treated. It was disgusting, soulless, devoid of all humanity. I can’t even begin to imagine how that man felt or what people who have been through something similar thought, having to watch that careless display of callousness.

It goes without saying that there is still a lot to be done when it comes to mental health and how we treat others. No one should ever be ashamed of speaking up about what they are going through or humiliated for asking for help. We can’t go around saying that we are a pro-life country if we are not pro every single life that graces our shores.

To those going through something similar, I would like to reiterate what many people have said this week: you are not alone. Help is never far. It does get better. And to everyone else I say: we need to do better.

If you need emotional support, you can call Richmond Malta’s helpline on 1770. Alternatively, type OLLI.Chat on your desktop, mobile or tablet browser to chat with a professional 24/7.