I am 22 years old and I struggle with depression. I’m also in my final year at university getting my degree in theatre, which means I must complete a senior capstone project. A capstone project is a large project that is meant to be the final piece of an undergraduate degree. For my project I’ve decided to combine two things I’m very passionate about: mental health awareness and theatre. In doing so it is my goal to compile a show based on stories, statistics and articles about mental illness focusing on depression and bipolar disorder. My goal in creating this piece is to open a dialogue about these diseases and to help fight the negative stigma attached to them.
That’s where you come in. I’m inviting you to submit your story whether it is your personal story of struggle or a story of watching someone close to you deal with a mental illness or even completely fictional stories. How has mental illness touched your life? What is mental health to you? How do you stay mentally healthy?
It can be a simple sentence or several pages. Submissions don’t need to be limited to narratives, they can be letters, stories, poems, they can be sad, humorous, uplifting. The goal is to get a vast representation of what depression is and how it is viewed from all walks of life.
If you would like to submit something please click on the 'share an experience' link below.
Please do not submit any information about yourself that you would not wish to be made public. You are free to remain totally anonymous if you so wish.
Catching Elephant is a theme by Andy Taylor
Every time someone “goes public” about a mental illness, they chip away at the culture of secrecy that surrounds it. And the more of us do it, the harder it’ll be to deny us jobs, cut off friendships with us, continue believing that we’re weak and lazy, and be ashamed of us.
(Source: lookoutsideyourself)
The performance of my capstone! The volume is a little low but I finally got the video up. Check it out!
Rehearsal
(Source: themfpabroad)
The performance of this project goes up on Thursday. I am so excited to see all the hard work come together. I’m putting the last touches together for the technical side of things and I need some help.
I’d like to put faces to depression. I’d like to put a slide show of pictures together to go under one of the moments I’ve written. So I’m asking you to leave me a picture of yourself, or someone you know (with their permission of course) who has suffered from depression either in the comments section or in my ask box. I’ll be including a picture of myself and of my grandmother.
A Request
The performance of this project goes up on Thursday. I am so excited to see all the hard work come together. I’m putting the last touches together for the technical side of things and I need some help.
I’d like to put faces to depression. I’d like to put a slide show of pictures together to go under one of the moments I’ve written. So I’m asking you to leave me a picture of yourself, or someone you know (with their permission of course) who has suffered from depression either in the comments section or in my ask box. I’ll be including a picture of myself and of my grandmother.
(Source: jaclynnicolee)
(Source: sarahxmay)
