Woman suffering from mental illness says art is her therapy
Art, poetry and other forms of expression from those with mental health diagnoses will be celebrated Tuesday during the 15th annual Desert Mental Health Arts Festival in Indio.
May is national Mental Health Awareness Month and in order to reduce the stigma associated with mental illnesses, the county puts on this annual art show.
Artist Donna Mitchell shows the mask she created based off on her face. The piece is titled “Inner Appearance.”
“It explains how I’ve been viewed from the outside world. This is things that they see about me that I may not be looking at,” Mitchell said.
Mitchell has schizoaffective disorder and PTSD. She said art is her way of coping with her disorders.
“You discover your strengths and use those to get through what deficits you may have, because we’re all different,” Mitchell said.
Organizers said Tuesday’s art festival is a way to bring those suffering from mental illnesses out of their shells.
“You’ll see pictures here of bright, bright sunlight to very dark, dark clouds. And it allows them to express themselves at the time that they are feeling those emotions,” said Richard Divine with Riverside County Behavioral Health Commission.
The event was made possible by the former County Supervisor John Benoit, who is now deceased.
“It was, I think, one of his last dying wishes that we got this building today. He provided this building. His office staff has worked with us and we just didn’t know where we were going to hold our event this year, and John Benoit took care of us,” Devine said.
Because of Supervisor John Benoit’s commitment to the arts festival, it will be renamed in his honor, as the John Benoit Arts Festival.
The county is continuing to work to bring resources to those with mental health issues and is moving forward with plans to make Roy’s Resource Center a long-term care facility for adults with mental illnesses.
“People with medical issues, people with co-occurring disorders — like substance abuse and mental health — people with diabetes who need more care, and people who are post-hospital discharges who need more supported housing in a long-term basis — that’s what Roy’s is going to become,” said James Grisham, the Desert Region administrator for Children and Adult Services.
Mitchell hopes events like these help reduce the stigma surrounding mental illnesses.
“I think when you understand yourself better it’s a lot easier to acclimate to the rest of the world,” Mitchell said.
Mental health resource centers in the county:
http://riverside.networkofcare.org/mh/
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