“Mental Health: Mind Matters” is included with admission to the Science Museum of Virginia, and tickets are available at smv.org. The exhibition continues through Aug. 29. (Photo courtesy Science Museum of Virginia)
Enter the Science Museum of Virginia’s touring exhibition “Mental Health: Mind Matters,” and you’re greeted with a wall of video clips and quotes about what you’re about to experience: “I have mental illness, but mental illness doesn’t have me.” “You might not have a mental illness, but you definitely know someone who does.” “Mental illnesses are like other illnesses, treatable medical conditions.” Go in a little farther, and interactive displays and experiences demonstrate what it’s like to live with a mental illness, how mental illness is treatable and what you can do to help yourself and others.
According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), one in five U.S. adults experiences a mental illness each year.
“Mental health is something that is important to us at all times,” says SMV Director of Playful Learning and Inquiry Timshel Purdum. “We’re really, really pleased that we’re able to host the exhibit now, when mental health and mental illness are getting so much press, because it’s a topic that people often avoid talking about.”
“I think that you’re not going to be able to leave this exhibit without finding some part of you that relates to the stories that are told.” —Timshel Purdum, SMV director of playful learning and inquiry
The exhibition was produced by the Science Museum of Minnesota with Heureka, the Finnish Science Centre. It was designed to be a catalyst for conversations about mental illness.
“Oftentimes, when people think about mental health, they really don’t think about the brain; it seems like kind of a disconnect, and mental health seems to be tied up in emotions,” says SMV Manager of Communications and Curiosity Jennifer Guild. “People just forget how much of the neuroscience is really in there.”
“Mind Matters” uses neuroscience to address the brain’s role in mental illness, and it also focuses on the human side of mental health, with content designed to put visitors in the shoes of someone who lives with a mental illness, in order to foster empathy and erase stigma.
“As people, we learn from stories, and I think that you’re not going to be able to leave this exhibit without finding some part of you that relates to the stories that are told,” Purdum says. “It’s going to write you into the narrative in whatever way is unique and [relevant] to you. You can read a fact, but when you become part of the narrative and you see a part of yourself in that story, you remember it more.”
Interactive displays include a self-image mirror, reflective of how we view ourselves; the “What Am I Feeling?” emotion recognition game; and the worry shredder, where you write a worry on a piece of paper and then watch it get shredded away. The “Hearing Voices” display includes speakers that simulate the experience of psychosis, and guests are invited to try to discuss a series of questions with a friend while hearing voices. Designed by a woman who was diagnosed with schizophrenia as a teenager, the same simulation is used to train first responders and health care professionals to better understand those with a similar condition and offer them coping strategies.
People living with a mental illness may not always seek treatment. Barriers such as stigma and a lack of understanding and access to services can contribute to the refusal to request help. From shared stories of living with conditions including bipolar disorder, depression and anxiety to the science behind mental illness, “Mind Matters” demonstrates that those who have a mental illness are not alone, and there are options available to them. Toward the end of the exhibition, mental health resources are available for perusal. Beyond what’s in the exhibition, SMV also offers a wide range of national and local resources on its website and social media channels.
