Mental Illness and Art

Mental illness, one of the most deadly things in the world, is something that many people struggle with. Although the dialogue surrounding the subject has grown in recent years, it is still very stigmatized, leaving victims ashamed and suffering in silence.

My name is Sarah and I, like so many others, struggle with mental illness. One of the ways that I cope with my mental health issues is through art. The act of creatively expressing myself helps me deal with the anxiety and depression symptoms that plague my everyday life. Painting and drawing are my go-to forms of art.

“Diseased Mind” is one of my more recent pieces about mental health. It is acrylic paint on a canvas, completed in mid 2020. The concept for “Diseased Mind” came to me when I was having a difficult time in May of 2020, not long after the coronavirus pandemic became our new reality. I was struggling with loneliness after losing my traditional college experience, and extreme anxiety because of the overhanging threat of illness as a result of the virus. “Diseased Mind” has the purpose of representing these feelings of isolation, and these feelings of being trapped as a result of the pandemic.

Just as a virus takes over the cells of your body, depression and anxiety symptoms have the ability to take over your mind. These symptoms can be all consuming. They also have the ability to take away your voice, as shown in “Spiral.”

“Spiral” is a visual representation of how I experience anxiety. It is a mixed media piece of acrylic paint and sharpie art on a canvas. I was asked to draw what was going on in my mind during an anxiety attack, and the resulting sketch inspired the piece. During an attack, it becomes so hard to think that my mind becomes foggy. The world seems to become black and white, as everything is labeled safe or dangerous, and during attacks, everything is dangerous. It becomes hard to really process what is going on in front of me. An invisible hand seems to be squeezing my throat, making it impossible to say a word, all the while I’m caught in a spiral of negative thoughts.

I’ve been struggling with the same set of negative thoughts for a long time. I worry I’m malingering. I fear being seen as vain or arrogant. I feel helpless. I feel weak.

My graphite portrait “Whispers” shows these feelings. These negative thought patterns and fears decrease the likelihood of me asking for help when I’m struggling.

The traps your own mind can set for itself can be deadly. According to the Trevor Project, a mental health nonprofit for the LGBTQ+ community, suicide is the 2nd leading cause of death for people aged 10-24. That’s why it is important that when you’re having difficulties, you need to ask for help before you get to that point. If you’re already there, nothing else is more important than confiding in someone you trust and getting the help that you need.

If you’re at all like me, talking about mental health is difficult to the point of feeling shameful (writing this piece is a struggle). But it’s important to remember that no one should be forced to deal with mental health alone. Personally, things got better for me once I started asking for help and letting those I love know what was going on with me. Once I started going to therapy (there’s nothing wrong with going to therapy, folks!) and using art as my outlet, my mental health slowly improved. There will always be hard days, but you’ll notice over time, those days become easier, too.

So if you’re struggling, reach out to those you love. Both you and they will be glad you did.

You can find more of Sarah's work on Instagram at @segartstudios.