“One in four people in the world will be affected by mental or neurological disorders at some point in their lives. Around 450 million people currently suffer from such conditions, placing mental disorders among the leading causes of ill-health and disability worldwide.” So why is there such a stigma on mental illness? Society has not placed enough importance on mental health leading to prejudice attitudes around mental illness. People who suffer from mental illness have been made to internally stigmatize themselves; turning the stereotypes about mental illness adopted by society, towards themselves. They assume that they will be rejected socially and believe they lack value because of it. These stigmas not only diminish self esteem, but robs people of social opportunities. For example, denied employment or denied accommodation for the illness. “Discrimination and stimga have been linked to ignorance and studies show the majority of the public have limited knowledge of mental illness, and the knowledge they do have is often factually incorrect.” Thinking back to my health classes in highschool and middle school, I feel anger. I learned nothing about mental health during junior high and in highschool we briefly touched on it. The average age of early signs of mental illness is 14, so it baffles me that mental health is not a key subject in school curriculum.
For my semester project I drew inspiration from the artist Candy Chang. Through the use of public spaces she “creates work that examines the dynamics between society and psyche, the threshold between isolation and community, and the role of public rituals in an anxious, alienating age.” After struggling with grief and depression, she channeled her emotional questions into her work. One of her most famous projects, Before I Die, “reimagines the ways the walls of our cities can help us grapple with mortality and meaning as a community today.” Over 5,000 Before I Die walls have been created by communities in over 75 countries, including China, Iraq, Argentina, Nigeria, and Kazakhstan. Her other projects, Confessions and A Monument for the Anxious and Hopeful really resonated with me and my struggles with mental illness. Chang’s public art works are internationally renowned for their vulnerability and interactivity. They allow people to embrace their emotions and become vulnerable.
I want to create a safe space for people to reflect, share, understand, and connect. When you suffer from mental illness, speaking about it can be extremely hard. You fear being judged and ridiculed, but speaking about it does help. Finding an outlet is important. A lot of people never get the courage to speak about their struggles. Through this project I want to allow people, whether you suffer from mental illness or not to share, anonymously, their fears and their deepest thoughts because we have more in common with each other than you think. “Art has the power to change the way we think and feel. It also can drive engagement and even action that can help improve the mental health of others and, through giving, help us heal ourselves.” I hope that participating in this helps people better understand and empathize with those who suffer with these emotions and fears. I want to offer people an outlet to open up, some for the first time, about the thoughts that consume their minds. Hopefully, people leave this with a more positive view on mental illness. I hope they at least try to be more understanding because our commonalities greatly outweigh our differences. If people could just be more understanding, the world would be a better place.
My idea for the project is to shine light on anxiety by creating a wall similar to Candy Chang’s. “An estimated 284 million people worldwide experienced an anxiety disorder in 2017, making it the most prevalent mental health disorder around the globe.” A big portion of our population suffers from some form of anxiety and may suffer in silence. I’d like to find a wall on campus that I could make this project. I would use a big piece of wood and hammer rows of nails into it. Then I’d attach square pieces of paper with the words “My biggest fear is” onto string so people can hang them onto the nails. Reading what other people hang onto the board may help someone in knowing they aren’t alone. Knowing that someone else shares the same fears as you is comforting. No one likes to feel alone and when it comes to mental health, a lot of people feel that way.
Being that the board would be on campus, I don’t think it’d reach a ton of people. I would love to create an online version of this where people can post their responses anonymously. I’d share it on all my social media platforms and create flyers with the link. I could hang them around campuses, restaurants and businesses in Jersey City.
Resources
“11 Facts About Anxiety.” DoSomething.org, https://www.dosomething.org/us/facts/11-facts-about-anxiety.
Hervey, Jane Claire. “This Artist Turns Anxiety And Fear Into Public Art.” Forbes, Forbes Magazine, 30 Jan. 2018, https://www.forbes.com/sites/janeclairehervey/2018/01/30/this-artist-turns-anxiety-and-fear-into-public-art/#5f8f07376250.
“How Does Stigma Affect People with Mental Illness?” Nursing Times, 15 Oct. 2019, https://www.nursingtimes.net/roles/mental-health-nurses/how-does-stigma-affect-people-with-mental-illness-06-07-2012/.
“Mental Disorders Affect One in Four People.” World Health Organization, World Health Organization, 29 July 2013, https://www.who.int/whr/2001/media_centre/press_release/en/
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