Deconstructing Stigma

Deconstructing Stigma

Changing Attitudes About Mental Health

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The Campaign

Deconstructing Stigma: Changing Attitudes About Mental Health is a series of larger-than-life photographs and interviews with people from across the United States and beyond who have been affected by mental illness.

Since the campaign’s initial physical installation at Boston’s Logan International Airport, it has found homes in various US states, and has traveled the world with pop-up installations across the United States and in almost every inhabited continent. The installations, website, and the companion books serve to capture the complexity of living with a psychiatric disorder, seeking treatment, navigating insurance and healthcare systems, and facing stigma.

Told through the eyes of its participants, Deconstructing Stigma boldly challenges the misconceptions of what those with mental illness look like. The volunteers in this project are more than just statistics or nameless faces. They are mothers, fathers, wives, husbands, lawyers, doctors, engineers, musicians, and more. Each one has been affected by mental illness, and each one has also faced stigma.

Travelers look at airport exhibit — The physical installation of Deconstructing Stigma, on view now at Boston’s Logan Airport

Stigma—it’s an ugly word, and it’s even uglier to experience. Yet 75% of people with mental illness say they have endured the pain of stigma. Despite the concerns of being labeled and risking further stigma, the volunteers in this project are courageously sharing their stories of hope and resilience so that you will have an opportunity to “walk in their shoes” and perhaps step away with a different view of what it is like to have a mental illness.

1 in 5 Americans will experience mental illness in his or her lifetime. It is something that affects us all. If you are struggling with symptoms of an illness, or if you feel like no one would understand what you’re experiencing, this campaign is for you. You are not alone.

This project was developed by McLean Hospital, in partnership with local and national organizations. Together, we are deconstructing stigma, and together, we are changing lives.

Chris

There are no perfect people

Chris was a police officer, like his father before him and his grandfather before both of them. He has also been a father, a husband, and an active member of the military. He also knows what it is like to live with mental illness.

Shortly after returning from a military deployment, Chris began working as a police officer investigating child abuse cases.

I was investigating homicides, leading child abuse cases, listening to children’s stories of being sexually and physically abused … I was also on the SWAT team and a member of the peer support team.

Taking in secondary trauma and experiencing some myself—these experiences were all filling up my trauma cup and I unknowingly carried this around.

Despite working tirelessly—taking on additional shifts and responding after hours to be a support for others—Chris still believed he had not been doing enough at work.

I should have paid attention to the warning signs that I was doing too much. I was reading a children’s book to my kids and began to weep—I was at a breaking point.

His work as a detective intensified and so did his mental health symptoms, leading to his first-ever anxiety attack in 2010.

I had a heart attack-like feeling in my chest, pain radiating down my arm, and I was worried I would go unconscious. I even said goodbye to my wife.

While the heart attack-like symptoms eventually dissipated, that’s when the intrusive thoughts started—of me killing myself. I thought I was losing my mind and going crazy.

These overwhelming feelings led Chris to make a change for himself and his family. Chris began seeing a therapist and was diagnosed with major depressive disorder and generalized anxiety disorder. Coming to terms with the cumulative effects of his high-pressure work, Chris began prioritizing his health and setting boundaries.

I started getting better-quality sleep, started dating my wife again when we didn’t have time to connect on that level before, and having boundaries with others. I stopped working on child abuse cases and stepped off the SWAT team. Sometimes you have to say no to a lot of good to make room for the great.

Throughout his life, his mental health symptoms have come in cycles, with another severe episode occurring more recently.

The last few years were heavy—with all of the anti-police protests and hearing the narrative that many people didn’t believe in us. I felt the stress of hoping I could show them a different perspective. That and constantly seeing death and reviewing police reports on child abuse—even though I was no longer leading those cases—was the perfect storm.

After what he recognized as an anxiety attack, he promptly reached out to his therapist and a doctor.

He admitted himself to a 30-day inpatient post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) recovery center in Utah. There, he was diagnosed with PTSD.

Chris understands firsthand what it feels like to be excluded and looked down upon for his struggles with mental health, challenged further by being a military veteran.

A police commander told me to stop talking about what happened in 2010 and that it made me look weak as a leader. I said, ‘Yes, sir,’ at the time, hoping to be promoted, but since then, I’ve been applauded more than criticized for speaking up.

He has made spreading awareness his mission by telling parts of his journey openly.

Whether someone is a stay-at-home parent, CEO, first responder, or veteran, mental health impacts everyone, and there is stigma related to mental health. We should think of it in the same way as a physical injury—why are we so afraid of being labeled with mental illness?

With his resiliency and dedication to live a healthy life paired with the support of his wife, four daughters, and those he trusts, Chris has seen improvement and is inspired to help others feel seen and understood while on their own journeys.

If you’re struggling, talk about it. There is value in cathartic ventilation—getting it out and not dealing with stressors in silence. As we talk about it with people we trust, we feel a little lighter by allowing others to embrace us.