Be Vocal Collection is Literally Changing Society’s Image of Mental illness

Last month, I was in San Diego for a summit held at the Sparks Gallery where I met nine other patient leaders who have bipolar disorder–see our cute group picture!  (Full disclosure: All travel expenses were paid for by Sunovion, but this post was at my discretion and the opinions expressed are my own.)   We talked about harmful images in the media that perpetuate stereotypes of people with mental illness.  They say a picture is worth a thousand words.  Too often, you see stock pictures in articles about mental illness that make people with mental illness look like monsters.  Sunovion has partnered with NAMI (the National Alliance on Mental illness), DBSA (Depression & Bipolar Support Alliance), the National Council on Community Behavioral Healthcare, the JED Foundation, Mental Health America, and platinum-selling recording artist Demi Lovato to literally change the way we see mental illness through The Be Vocal Collection.  You can see the 150 images from the collection here at Getty Images.  (This blog post is Part 1 of my recap of the summit.  You can read Part 2 here.)

The goal is to provide free images that journalists, writers, and bloggers can use.  The images show everything from people directing choir at church, baking cookies with their children, playing with their pets, and staring at the wall.  The collection features 10 people living with a range of mental health conditions that include: anxiety, depression, post traumatic stress disorder, and bipolar disorder, among others.  As someone who blogs and writes, I know there are times when I have used the same image for multiple articles on depression because it was better than resorting to free terrifying and inhumane images of people with mental illness.  As a person with bipolar disorder, what I love about the collection is that it portrays a realistic view of mental illness and broadens the way we see people with mental illness.

Some of my favorite images were of Dior Vargas, who I previously interviewed here on Fashionably ill.  I love this picture of Dior with her pets.  Having been on a panel with Dior last year at a conference, this portrait jumped out at me when I was at Sparks Gallery.  I was like, “Hey I know her!  That’s my friend.”  Also, she looks fabulous in teal!

I also love this image:

And this one:

I think it’s important to show pictures of people with mental illnesses doing mundane things.  Here is an image of three time Olympian Suzy Favor-Hamilton brushing her teeth:

Here is a picture of musician, Jay Solar, rehearsing with his band:

Another picture of Jay:

Part 2 is here! 9 Difference-Makers You Should Know

Click here to read Part 2 of my recap of the San Diego Summit; I profile the nine advocates I met and how you can follow their amazing work.  They are authors, bloggers, poets, comedians, publishers, and so much more.

–Your Stylist, Jessica Gimeno