Mindscapes NB - Artist Speech

Mindscapes New Brunswick

October 26^th, 2007 - November 20th, Moncton Museum

Artist Speech - Written and Presented by Nadine Lipton

Everyone has a burden to bear and sometimes the heaviest burdens are the ones you can't see.


Some of the most famous people from our past have gone through the most difficult times.


The one thing that all of these people from the past or the present have in common is that they have suffered from a mental illness at some point in their lives; Sinead O'Connor, Robbie Williams, Brooke Shields, Richard Dreyfuss, Winona Ryder, Linda Hamilton, Jim Carrey, Ben Stiller, Kylie Minogue, Uma Thurman, George Michael, Margot Kidder, Michael Hutchence, Vincent Van Gogh, Jackson Pollack Abe Lincoln and Winston Churchill.


Did anyone ever tell you that these people who have accomplished great things in their lives, have also all suffered from a mental illness?


They lived in the shadows, and this shadow continues to hide most of the people today who suffer in silence.


10 years! That is the average length of time between the onset of symptoms and the correct diagnosis of a mental illness.


A lot of important things can happen in 10 years don't you think?


Many people lose everything and every part of their life is affected; family, friends, relationships, children, job, finances and in most cases your physical health deteriorates as well.


At first they deny it. "Not Me, Not my parent, not my child. There is nothing like THAT in MY family...."


Sometimes the denial can last for years until the illness gets so out of control that nobody can ignore it any longer. It takes over and can swallow the person whole.


I don't understand why people are still labeled when they are diagnosed.


We often hear, "He is Schizophrenic, She is Bipolar, He is OCD, She is Anorexic". Have you ever heard anyone say, "He is Cancer, She is Diabetes, He is Lung Disease, She is Heart Disease?


People justify giving others these labels to distance themselves from this illness, and this person....


Should we tell them it's not contagious???


I think we should PERSONIFY the illness and HUMANIZE the person.


"He is fighting Schizophrenia, She is surviving Bipolar Illness, He is in control of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, and She is managing Anorexia."


This fragile community needs a voice, and acceptance. Suicide is preventable through awareness, education, understanding, and caring.


There are things that everyone can do; talk about it, write about it, blog about it, get it out there, don't leave it in the shadows.


If you need help, seek it out, if your friend or family member needs help, find it, ask questions, get answers.


Don't just let it slide because you never know when someone's life depends on it, including your own.


I hope that mental illness awareness will soon be as prevalent and spoken about openly as any other illness so that nobody has to endure more suffering caused by having to live their life in the shadows.


It is time to move into the light!


- Nadine Lipton (October 26th, 2007)