Prioritising global mental health: a photo paints a thousand words
Authors: Miranda Wolpert
Journal: The Lancet Psychiatry (2020)

In December, 2019, when the Wellcome Photography Prize was launched, I wrote that I was "hoping for images that will help provide a more nuanced picture of how people live with, or recover from, mental health problems". The shortlisted images have exceeded my expectations. Jeremy Farrar, Director of Wellcome and Wellcome Photography Prize Chair, said:"The photographs moved all six judges in different ways, both through technical expertise but crucially in the humanity that comes through. It's about the narrative, it brings courage to all of us to share our experiences." Jeremy Farrar, Director of Wellcome and Wellcome Photography Prize Chair, said: "The photographs moved all six judges in different ways, both through technical expertise but crucially in the humanity that comes through. It's about the narrative, it brings courage to all of us to share our experiences." The prize aims to challenge preconceptions and stereotypes, and provide a more authentic look at peoples' experiences of health. In viewing the shortlisted photographs focused on mental health, I found myself both moved and excited by the creativity and honesty of the photographs. While they focused particularly on those with more enduring difficulties, they spoke to me of the strength and fragility of us all as we each find our own ways to manage our own mental health. Here, I will focus on a shortlisted entry that closely links to Wellcome's Mental Health strategic priority focus on identifying those "active ingredients" that really make a difference in addressing or managing anxiety and depression in young people worldwide. This is part of our mission to find the next generation of treatments and approaches to transform the lives of the millions of people who are currently being held back by anxiety and depression. In Mental Health Kits, the photographer, Sebastian Mar of Moscow, captures a series of portraits of four young Russian women with mental health issues alongside a collection of objects that form part of their experience of mental health problems. Mar comments: "In all creative work I produce, I explore the intense emotions and experiences which usually deny articulation, such as trauma, delusion, and dreams. Perhaps driven by my own struggles with other people's denial of the reality of my illness, I search for ways to speak the unspeakable. Photography, in my view, may be one of the most effective mediums for battling prejudice and distrust: what is expressed in words is often cast aside as a product of fancy, or something too difficult to comprehend, but photographs persuade with their ability to capture the world as it is, bypassing the process of human interpretation." This work brings to life, in ways in which it is hard to do in words, the rich diversity of people's approaches to managing their own mental health in the context of "trauma, delusion and dreams". Each kit is as individual as its creator. For example, for Ksusha, a computer technician at a liberal political party, who identifies as someone with bipolar disorder, her kit includes video gaming and ice-hole diving, while for Seva, a fashion photography student and poet who identifies as having chronic depression and anxiety disorder, her kit includes both poetry and pills. As Mar notes, "each of these kits is a manifestation of hope and resourcefulness". It is notable that these images come from Russia, which is one of the less visible areas of the world in terms of mental health science output. As part of our work at Wellcome, we are seeking to extend mental health science beyond the small number of western, educated, industrialized, rich, and developed (sometimes referred to as WEIRD) contexts in which most research is currently conducted. While being rooted in their specific context, these images are relatable worldwide. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the hashtag #Threefor3 sprang up on Twitter, in which people shared three things that were helping their mental health. Many people shared elements of their mental health kits. Perhaps it would be beneficial to all of us to map out our own mental health first aid kit. These images turn the complex issues of how people live with mental health issues into strong visual narratives. We hope that they will help spark further discussion and exploration of what works for whom and why, so that we can all take one step closer to a world where no one is held back by mental health problems. The winner of the Wellcome Photography Prize will be announced on Aug 19, 2020. The full shortlist gallery is available to view at https://wellcome.ac.uk/what-we-do/our-work/wellcome-photography-prize/2020Further information: The shortlist was selected by Chair of Judges Jeremy Farrar, Director of Wellcome, and a panel of six judges: Siân Davey (photographer), MaryAnne Golon (The Washington Post), Aiysha Malik (World Health Organization), John Moe (The Hilarious World of Depression podcast), David Nott (David Nott Foundation), and Azu Nwagbogu (African Artists' Foundation and Lagos Photo Festival) The winner of the Wellcome Photography Prize will be announced on Aug 19, 2020. The full shortlist gallery is available to view at https://wellcome.ac.uk/what-we-do/our-work/wellcome-photography-prize/2020 Further information: The shortlist was selected by Chair of Judges Jeremy Farrar, Director of Wellcome, and a panel of six judges: Siân Davey (photographer), MaryAnne Golon (The Washington Post), Aiysha Malik (World Health Organization), John Moe (The Hilarious World of Depression podcast), David Nott (David Nott Foundation), and Azu Nwagbogu (African Artists' Foundation and Lagos Photo Festival)