Social Documentary : Mental Health Awareness
Why I chose this topic:
I chose social documentary due to the fact that I wanted to raise awareness on a social issue that I myself also struggle with . Throughout the images down below, I wanted to express my personal struggles I deal with when it comes to my anxiety and depression disorders. These disorders have made a huge impact on my day to day life . It makes me have panic attacks, depressive moods , in the past it has kept me bed ridden for weeks , and it has even led me to thoughts of suicide in the past as well. I was diagnosed with depression and anxiety in high school and ever since , I have dedicated my free time to raise awareness on the issue.
Image Title: " Happy Pill"
Because of my disorders, I have had to rely on chemical balancing medications to make it through my daily life. I call these medications my happy pills because it's exactly what they are. I can't function properly without them.
Image Title : Make It Stop
This image describes the feeling of wanting to make the anxious voices in my head stop. Anxiety feeds me lies about myself, and what those around me think of me.
Style:
I chose to use all black and white for these photos because I believe it gives a story telling aspect to the images . Depression is also a very dark and heavy feeling and I felt the black and white expressed that feeling .
Image Title: " Twice Daily "
Relating to the first image , these are my medications I take spilling out from the bottle. I labeled this picture twice daily due to the fact that I have to take two of them everyday to balance out the chemicals in my brain to limit the symptoms of my anxiety and depression disorder.
Image Title: "Suffocated"
For this image , I wanted to give the feeling of being suffocated and the incapability of being able to breathe. For the image taking process, I ended up using scan wrap and covering my mouth with it to breathe in make it look like I am being suffocated. Suffocation is exactly how I feel when I am having a panic attack. Unable to breathe while my hands are shaking , stomach is turning , and ,y heart is pounding out of my chest.
What I Learned :
Throughout this process, I have learned new techniques in making an emotion be conveyed in an image so that the audience can feel it while looking at it . I feel like this process is important in this specific genre to make the audience connect with the images more to further understand the issue being highlighted in a series .
To anyone struggling , you are not alone . This world is a better place with you in it
If you or anyone is struggling with mental health there are lots of resources out there to help you.
Canadian Suicide Hotline:
1.833.456.4566
