Our group decided to focus on mental health in Singapore.
Based on some research that I did, I found out that:
- 1 in 10 people in Singapore suffer from a mental disorder (Singapore Mental Health Study 2010)
- 5.8% of the adult population in Singapore has suffered from depression at some point in their lives
- The top 3 most common disorders in Singapore are:
- Depression: loses interest in daily life, has feelings of hopelessness and thoughts of suicide
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Alcohol Abuse: has to drink more and more alcohol to feel its effects as tolerance for the substance increases, experiences sweating and other withdrawal symptoms when not drinking
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder Obsessive: has persistent and irrational thoughts, impulses or images that cause anxiety or distress like an overwhelming fear of germs and dirt Compulsive: repeats actions like checking and rechecking locks several times over
- Based on a study, The Mind Matters: A Study of Mental Health Literacy, they found out that there was also considerable personal stigma towards mental illness. Of which majority shared several common perceptions – that those with mental health issues could get better “if they wanted to”, the problem is a “sign of personal weakness” and people with such disorders are “unpredictable”.
- The study also showed a lack of recognition for disorders like Obsessive Compulsive Disorder and schizophrenia.
Thus we decided to create an installation, titled “The Unfolding Narrative” because we want people to share their stories. And we don’t want a title that’s very loud and directly associated to mental health. We want to ingnite interest and curiosity first.
I came up with 2 drafts before modifying them to create the last sketch.
Draft 1:
Draft 2:
