The advert that pumped up mental health controversy

An advert showing a man holding a fuel pump nozzle to his head, with his hand on the ‘trigger’, has been described as “really distasteful” by an organisation that offers support to people with mental health problems. The advert, which was also used on billboards, attempts to promote the conversion of cars from petrol to the cleaner and cheaper LPG fuel. The words ‘fuel bills can get to you’ are printed over the dark image of the man holding the nozzle. Some readers of The Times complained that the advert was insensitive, even though others argued that the advert was a breath of fresh air and a break from the political billboards invading Malta’s roads. They thought it was a clever play on the fuel issue that has cropped up throughout the campaign as the two parties debate what fuel to pick to run the power station. Dolores Gauci, CEO of the Richmond Foundation which works with people who have mental health problems, said it was distasteful since it “ridicules the issue of suicide”. However, the company behind the billboard, Michael Debono Limited, defended the move: “It only reflects the common expression ‘to put a gun to your head’ and nothing more. “The message portrayed in the...