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Visualising mental illness

Could mapping our anxieties generate more understanding and support?

Published:
Jill Simpson.jpg
Jill Simpson.jpg

Credit: Jill Simpson. All rights reserved.

What does mental illness look like? We know how it feels; at least I do, having suffered from anxiety and Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) for many years. But it’s hard to visualise mental illness in the same way we might visualise physical disabilities, and this can make it difficult for people with no experience of mental health problems to empathise or imagine how they affect peoples’ lives.