It's Not Hard to Understand My...
People with mental illness have to fight not only their own illness but also the misconceptions and prejudices from the outside world. In this project, I chose some mental illnesses and mental disorders by investigating the symptoms, stigma, and prejudice of these illnesses. I developed a series of illustrations to make the audience understand the feelings and struggles of the patients and to help people realize that mental illness is not a terrible disease.
Understand The ADHD
ADHD mainly includes Inattentiveness, hyperactivity and impulsiveness. In fact, people with ADHD are not completely unable to concentrate but this is only for the things they are interested in. My friend was not diagnosed with ADHD until he was an adult. His parents' neglect kept him from seeking medical care. This in turn led to his grades slipping and him eventual expulsion from school. When I talk about my ADHD friend's struggle with life and school, the others’ first reaction is to wonder if this is just an excuse and to express doubt about her disorder. But I don’t’ think so. I deeply appreciate the powerlessness they feel about being controlled by ADHD. When I contact with my friend with ADHD, he is so energetic, curious, and enthusiastic about new things. So for the illustrations, I didn’t want to try to gain the audience's sympathy by expressing how bad a disorder ADHD is. I wanted to use rich colors and various elements to show the jumpy minds of ADHD patients and their inner world. These bursting thoughts appear in their minds and blow up, making it impossible for them to focus on what they are supposed to be doing. On the other hand, I did not want to use a specific person in my painting as a stereotype to represent a group of people, so I chose to use a plaster figure as a substitute.
Understand The Depression
Depression is characterized by a lack of positive emotions and, usually, people with major depression are not responsive to their environment and remain depressed on a daily basis. Symptoms may occur in the body and in consciousness. About the misconception of depression, It was difficult for many doctors or counseling to provide appropriate help for patients inner pain. There is no effective communication between the patient and the doctor, and doctors and nurses assume that the patient "looks good". Cultural background also determines the level of stigma and misconception, some communities or cultures that had a clear stigma against mental health issues. The locals did not have the ability or willingness to provide support for the patient. It's hard for people to understand the pain of a depressed, and maybe they are aware of the negative emotions that are emanating from their friends who are depressed or are going through emotional lows. But it's hard to offer real help; sometimes, people gradually alienate their depressed friends. People's reactions and attitudes to depression remind me of rain. The person may be as depressed and low inside as on a rainy day. But the smile on their face makes others think they are doing well, not knowing that their inner world is collapsing. So we should not take this disease lightly and should try to understand and respect the people with depression.
Understand The Bipolar DIsorder
Bipolar disorder in a nutshell is switch back and forth between mania and depression. There is also a stigma and misconception about bipolar disorder. Most of the education about bipolar disorder is focused on the extreme manifestations of the disorder. On the other hand, those with bipolar disorder who do not fit the extreme manifestations may not be identified as having bipolar disorder. For the audience, the behavior of bipolar patients is abnormal or difficult to understand, and many people may have prejudices or discriminate against patients because of the strange behavior of bipolar disorder. So rather than depicting the patient's behavior to make the audience realize that these behaviors are bipolar disorder, I prefer to try to depict and explore the feelings. People whose bipolar disorder causes their moods to be like a roller coaster, sometimes going up to the clouds and sometimes going down to the bottom. I created a symmetrical composition. The left side is manic, irritable, pleasant, and energetic. The composition on the right wants to show depression, sadness, and uneasiness.
Understand The Gender Dysphoria
"Gender dysphoria" It refers to people who feel uncomfortable with their biological sex and thus develop a desire to change their gender. It is important to note that gender dysphoria is not a mental illness, but some people may develop mental health problems such as depression or anxiety because of gender dysphoria. Misconceptions about gender dysphoria begin with the concept of gender. Gender dysphoria, gender identity, and other gender-related concepts have long been thought of as being between men and women or between people with gender dysphoria and people without gender dysphoria. However, not all people with gender dysphoria want to live permanently or completely as the other gender, or undergo transgender surgery. People identify outside of these two genders or between them in a mixed way. Also, Anti-discrimination laws in most U.S. cities and states do not protect transgender people who are discriminated against because of their gender identity or gender expression. In my opinion, gender dysphoria is not a disease, but rather an important process for most people to define their identity. Through my illustrations, I want to show how people with gender dysphoria feel and try to show that gender is fluid rather than fixed. They may feel confused and anxious during this stage. Without the right help and treatment, it is like exploring a labyrinth and not finding the exit.
Understand The OCD
Obsessions and compulsions are the main components of OCD, but it is possible to have only one of them. Obsessional symptoms are repetitive, unwanted thoughts, impulses or images. Compulsive symptoms are those in which the patient is driven to perform repetitive behaviors. The misconceptions and stigmas about OCD can be traced back to the media representations of OCD. The portrayal of OCD sufferers in television shows and movies as "unpredictable, aggressive, and untrustworthy" and the stereotypical behaviors displayed in the media has led to some individuals going undiagnosed for years, which ultimately furthering misconceptions. For people with OCD, intrusive thoughts make them miserable. I try to compare intrusive thoughts to those smoke in my illustratios. These thoughts surround them all the time, and they obsess over them for sometimes ten minutes, and sometimes maybe even for hours. In the illustration, I depicted a person sitting in a bathtub, those thoughts wrapped around him/her like a net, and his/her hands with big and small scars symbolizing some repetitive behaviors, while behind this person, the real self is trapped and those compulsive behaviors are out of their own hands.
Brochure Design
For the illustration application, I decided to use the brochure design. Illustrations can visually and emotionally help people with similar experiences understand their feelings and situations and start a dialogue with themselves and others. It helps people realize that mental illness is not a terrible disease. Audiences can reduce the misconceptions and stereotype of mental illness through the brochure.
