Saturday, May 24, 2014

Who We Are

Because of the nature of this blog - and in fact much of what I've written on the topic of mental illness over the years - I sometimes start to sound like a combination of broken-record and one-dimensionality. The truth is that I am so much more than this illness. I am not just depression. I am not just trauma survivor. I am not just chronic illness. These things have shaped the person I am today. These are things I have sometimes desperately concealed and sometimes spoken about in detail and at length. I think this is an important topic to open up about and, for me personally, a conversation that I need to have with myself and with others. But depression is not the sum of who I am, even when I am sunk so far in its depths that I can't move and can't breathe and can't feel anything else.

We are not just schizophrenics, or borderlines, or bipolars, or anoretics. We are not just antisocials, or anxious, or autistic, or alcoholics. We are people. People with hopes, and quirks, and struggles, and passions. We are people who love, who hate, and who are indifferent. We are teachers, and mechanics, and assembly line workers, and doctors. We are artists, and appreciators of art.

There are a number of art installations on the grounds of the Douglas, placed there for employees, patients, and visitors to enjoy. Here are some of my favorites. I hope you enjoy them as much as I have.

















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