Annie

12/5/2015

"I've suffered from depression for as long as I can remember. I wasn't officially diagnosed until I was 18 and wasn't medicated until I after I was sent to the hospital at 25 because of a severe anxiety attack brought on by unchecked and rampant depression. Even before I was diagnosed, I knew what I had, but I didn't understand it any more than my family did. I was young when the words started---few at first, but over time I kept hearing the same ones again and again, and two particular phrases always stung more than the others: one, when I was the 'good' version of myself, family and friends would say 'See! This is the Annie we like!' as if there were two of me and only one was acceptable. Another was: 'You just need to grow up.'

"It wasn't until I was an adult that I realized I had a real illness that caused me to act certain ways and make certain choices that other people might not. As I worked towards my Master's degree in graphic design, I created this particular piece to help bridge the communication gap between depressive and non-depressive people and hopefully change the way we talk about mental illness. I want this work to start conversations about chronic depression and for those who feel they have no voice to know that someone is truly listening."