Deconstructing Stigma: A Change in Thought Can Change a Life is more than a series of larger-than-life photographs of people who have been affected by mental illness. Each story is told through the eyes of the campaign’s participants as they boldly tear down the misconceptions of mental health. Not statistics or nameless faces, the volunteers in this project are everyday people—just like you.
Jessika
Depression doesn't care who you want to be. It can resurface when you least expect it
Maurice
Having bipolar or another mental illness doesn’t mean you can’t be successful
Brandon
I wear green to raise awareness about mental health. I wear green so others know I am like them and they are like me.
Mary
We save each other
Dimple
In the South Asian culture, we simply don’t talk about mental health
Alan
We all fear the first step
Charles
You can’t let mental illness bring you down
Nathaniel
If you can face the worst fears your mind can create, you can overcome just about anything.
Jessica
The tics started in fourth grade
Rick
I want people to know they are not alone
Abby
We save each other
Sean
If you can show compassion for your fears, you can begin to overcome them
Ivy
Therapy truly saved my life
Amy
We’re always looking out for each other
Rachel
I want to help educate people
Nieisha
Don't suffer in silence alone
Ann
They put me in paper clothes. It was dehumanizing.
Laura
I want to touch the people who slip through the cracks, because I always did.
Howie
You’re no different than me
Jamie
I’ve always been capable of feeling great joy. With that, though, can come great despair.
Paul
Anyone should be able to say, “I need help”
Richard
No matter what age, color, or religion, anyone can live with mental illness
Meg
I remind myself to live in the moment
Miriam
Some people reacted negatively. It was sad. But that’s exactly why I needed to speak up
Ana
You don’t have to go through it alone. You don’t have to be afraid to reach out for help
Cynthia
You need to be who you are destined to be
Carol
Proper treatment requires a proper diagnosis
Joyce
I didn’t think there was anything wrong. But one day, I knew I had to talk to someone
Robert
I'm a survivor
Maria
The fear of being judged is paralyzing
Darryl
I’m not crazy for feeling this way
Joe
My insides were numb
Luanne
My throat hurt. I was holding back tears and words.
Cameron
If you reach out your hand, someone will be there to guide you—and the help you receive may come in unexpected, amazing ways
Jessica
You can always extract the good from your mental illness
Shellye
I know how it is to need help and be terrified to ask
Sonya
I’m going to defeat you, depression. You can’t hold me down.
Luanna
I admire the courage of my patients who want to work on themselves
Charlene
There’s no shame in having a mental illness
Dominique
We have to stop making it seem like it’s not okay to not be okay
Christina
Music speaks for me when I don’t know what to say
Marlena
Sometimes, there are just no words to express what you’re feeling
Lisa
I'm not ashamed of who I am anymore
Ashley
With treatment, I felt different. I wondered, “Is this how people feel normally?”
Clare
You’ve got to find the good in life. I’m still working on that
Amy
Once I started treatment, I could smile at my little boy
Jennifer
I could feel people looking at me—even if they weren’t
Meredith
You never know, underneath, what people are going through
John
Because of the stigma, no one wants to see mental illness
Lisa
I am playing music again
Molly
I didn’t think I would make it to age 20