Time to Change is a mental health anti-stigma programme that has just launched Get the Picture, a campaign that aims to convince media outlets to stop using simple images of people clutching their heads to depict what mental illness is supposed to look like.
When it comes to stories about mental health, this is the kind of picture that typically gets used:
In fact, a quick Google image search for ‘depression’ will show a plethora of photos just like this one, where they can be found clutching their heads as if they have a bad case of migraine.
Which is exactly why this campaign is so necessary, because people that experience depression, anxiety, and other mental illnesses often look and behave exactly like the rest of us — and that’s a fact.
Here are some examples collected by Buzzfeed:
1. “I remember how difficult it still was for me to get out of bed every morning.”
“In autumn 2013, I studied in England (my home university is in Naperville, Illinois). I’d been battling with depression and anxiety for almost two full years. This photo was taken about halfway through my time abroad, when my mom (on the right) came to visit me for a week. I was obviously SO excited for her to be there, but was also having some really difficult internal battles, was cutting myself, and was so embarrassed. I felt like nothing I was doing was helping me feel better.
“We took so many photos during her visit and had so much fun exploring and spending time together, but whenever I see these photos, I remember how difficult it still was for me to get out of bed every morning, even to enjoy one of the most beautiful countries in the world with my best friend.” – Anna Kopsky
2. “My life had fallen into a routine of harming myself.”
“My first two years of university were hard, both for me and those close to me. I was feeling very low, self-harming regularly and not eating. At this point I had told my parents about my depression, but I held back on telling anyone the scale of the damage I was causing myself.
“My life had fallen into a routine of harming myself, and then feeling better for a few days, before slowly sinking back down until I needed another “fix”. Medication helped to take the edge off how I was feeling, but it never really went away. Those closest to me had the hardest job of keeping me above water, but to the outsider looking in, I was just a normal guy who thought hiding under a table was a great way of getting a cheap laugh.” – Rehaan Ansari
3. “My family were great, but they didn’t know what I was going through.”
“In this picture it was 2012, I was 17, and after a long six months of being bullied through sixth form and suffering with depression, anxiety, and an attempted suicide, my mother thought it would be a nice idea for me to visit family in New York.
“Even though I had the best time seeing family I hadn’t seen in a very long time and exploring a new and amazing country, I was still depressed and suffering with incredibly low self-esteem.
“My family were great, but they didn’t know what I was going through, and I didn’t want to share it and burden them with my problems. I loved this time in America, but I can’t help but feel a pang of regret when I remember how it was almost wasted because of my illness.” – Jess Kwamin
4. “Just hours before this picture was taken, I tried to kill myself.”
“When this picture was taken I was suffering through severe postpartum depression. You can’t tell by looking, but just hours before this picture was taken, I tried to kill myself.
“I had been sobbing for two weeks. An hour after this picture was taken, I got up on stage and performed for a church talent show like everything was fine.” – Adrienne Feldmann, as told to Katherine Stone
5. “I would still wear a fake smile every day to try and hide the pain I was feeling.”
“I started experiencing depression when I was 14 – it was an incredibly dark time for me. It seemed like the only emotions I was capable of feeling were fear, anxiety, sadness, and despair. Nevertheless, I would still wear a fake smile every day to try to hide the pain I was feeling. I would force myself to leave the house every morning, drag myself to school – to everyone else I looked fine, normal, happy and healthy.
“I would go out with friends wearing long sleeves in summer to hide the scars I had,
and when people asked, I said I was cold and they believed it because I had a smile on my face. But I was ill at that time, I couldn’t see anything but darkness. A smile can hide the truth.” – Nikki Mattocks
6. “I was going through crippling self-loathing and constant systemic panic attacks.”
“When this picture was taken I was suffering from postpartum depression and anxiety. You can’t tell by looking, but I was going through crippling self-loathing, constant systemic panic attacks that ravaged my digestive system, and a lack of desire to live.” – Morgan Shanahan, as told to Katherine Stone
7. “I felt totally disengaged and trapped in a bubble of my own misery.”
“I was going through a low period around 2008, feeling lost, helpless, and utterly inadequate. I remember struggling to find something to wear for a night out with friends that didn’t make me feel completely ugly, and even though I still felt uncomfortable in this silver T-shirt, borrowed at the last minute, I hated the idea that I might miss out on a good night, or that my friends would like me less if I didn’t go.
“That evening I remember feeling floored by the a low nausea pulling me down, deep from the pit of my stomach. You wouldn’t know it from the pictures, but I felt totally disengaged, trapped in a bubble of my own misery, and was counting down the hours until I could go home for the whole time.” – Laura Silver
8. “I repeatedly said I wished that my precious son was my nephew.”
“When this picture was taken I was suffering from severe postpartum depression, anxiety, OCD, and PTSD. You can’t always tell by looking, but I felt/was going through HELL.
“I repeatedly said I wished that my precious son, with whom I am now completely in love and bonded with, was my nephew, not my son, in the first few months of his life.” – Amber Koter-Pouline, as told to Katherine Stone