New Art Exhibit Shines Unique Light on Mental Health
Deconstructing Stigma and Burlington International Airport team up to deliver a powerful message
May 24, 2021
What do a wildlife advocate, musician, fitness instructor, actor, athlete, and artist have in common? All have been affected by mental health and its stigma, and all are brought together in a beautiful and compelling new photographic exhibit that debuted on Thursday, May 20, 2021, at Burlington International Airport (BTV) in Burlington, Vermont.
The exhibit is part of an international public awareness campaign sponsored by the Boston area’s McLean Hospital, in collaboration with BTV and several mental health advocacy groups, to change the way mental health is perceived.
Deconstructing Stigma: Changing Attitudes About Mental Health features compelling portraits of courageous people who have shared their stories with the hope of changing how people with psychiatric illness are viewed.
“Shame and stigma are still far too prevalent when it comes to psychiatric disease and can contribute to the fear and isolation many people feel. Deconstructing Stigma is an unprecedented effort to spark conversation about behavioral and mental health,” says Scott L. Rauch, MD, president and psychiatrist in chief of McLean Hospital, the largest psychiatric affiliate of Harvard Medical School.
Connecting Through Stories
Vermont native Lise, whose story is shared at BTV, openly talks about her family history of mental health struggles as well as her own experience living with bipolar disorder. Although she was always told to keep mental health challenges in the family a secret, Lise now recognizes that there is no shame in living with a mental health disorder.
“My father swore us to secrecy about my sister’s schizophrenia diagnosis. Later, my father died by suicide,” explains Lise. “The resulting toxic shame from in and outside of my family impacted my development and played a part in sabotaging my chance for a happy and well-adjusted childhood and teen years. Without stigma, much of what happened would have been easier to bear.”
Lise, like so many of the more than 200 volunteers in the Deconstructing Stigma campaign from around the world, have stepped forward to share their stories because they want other people to know they are not alone and to recognize that living with a mental health condition is not something to be ashamed of.
Tian is one of many Deconstructing Stigma participants who are bravely telling their mental health story
Sean Shinnock has lived with mental health conditions since his teens and was the first person to volunteer for the campaign.
“I want to help others who struggle with mental health know that they are not alone,” says Sean, now 40, who now facilitates the Deconstructing Stigma campaign for McLean Hospital. “I still struggle some days, but I am confident enough, hopeful enough, inspired enough, and motivated enough to be a part of this life.”
Mental Health Affects Everyone
The local faces highlighted in the BTV exhibit are joined by some highly recognizable celebrities who have also bravely joined the Deconstructing Stigma campaign, including actor and comedian Howie Mandel.
Howie has lived with obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) for as long as he can remember and for years, struggled with rituals and self-taught coping skills just to have a productive life.
Howie publicly disclosed his disorder several years ago and has since leveraged his celebrity to encourage other people to recognize that mental health is something everyone grapples with at some point in their life.
“I’m no different than everybody else,” Howie says. “These people—the people with mental health issues—are everyone. If they don’t have a mental health condition or a need for mental health care now, they will. Everyone needs or could use mental health care sometime in their lives.”
Blending celebrities, such as former football star Brandon Marshall and Howie Mandel, with everyday people is a key component of the campaign because mental health struggles do not affect only one demographic or group.
Consider that one in five Americans will be diagnosed with a mental health disorder this year.
As the United States begins to open up more following the pandemic, mental health experts predict that more people than ever before will struggle with depression, anxiety, substance use, and trauma. According to a recent report by the Kaiser Family Foundation, more than half of U.S. adults said their mental health has been “negatively impacted due to worry and stress over the coronavirus.”
“We all recognize that mental health is a critical component to our overall health and well-being,” says Gene Richards, director of aviation at BTV.
“However, through this exhibit, those of us at BTV are making this topic a priority. As a strong community voice and an organization that cares deeply about Vermonters and those who visit our state, we want to make sure that no one ever feels like they can’t ask for help. We hope this exhibit will be inspirational and comforting to those who see it.”
The exhibit is located at the main entrance to the airport from the parking garage.
In addition to partnering with BTV, McLean Hospital collaborated with the Howard Center, University of Vermont Medical Center, Vermont Suicide Prevention Center, the Center for Health and Learning, and the National Alliance on Mental Illness, Vermont.
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