Invincible not Invisible is a mental health awareness passion project. My goal along with all the participants in the group is to get people talking about mental heath without the stigmas associated with brain health. The more people talk and normalize mental health the less taboo it will become. 

I could not have done this project without the fabulous team we had. Each person on the team either has suffered with the mental illness portrayed or still to this day suffers.  

I chose the name Invincible not Invisible because they are two words that sound similar, however in this case, they have vastly different meanings. We aim and strive to be invincible despite the mental illnesses we fight daily, and not let them make us feel invisible.  

Mental health and the stigma associated with it hits home for so many people. People who have not experienced it first hand may not realize how hard it is to get the proper care and resources for those with a mental illness. “Mental health and physical health should be treated equally because the brain affects the body just as much as the body affects the brain.” ~ Kevin Hines (Golden Gate bridge jump survivor) Sadly though, there is still a stigmatized view on mental illness. There are supports such as the Bell Lets Talk day; but, we need to talk about mental health, not just one day a year; we need to talk about it everyday. “Mental illness, addiction and suicide are the only illnesses we blame the person for, death by suicide is just like any other organ death.” ~ Kevin Hines 

This project focuses on 10 common mental illnesses and outcomes of mental illness; however, these are definitely not the only mental illnesses out there. Each image was portrayed by a person who suffers or has suffered from the illness shown, so we had an accurate representation of what it’s like to be hurting in your brain.  

The goal with this project is to get people speaking up and out about brain health to reduce the consequences from the lack of support and resources. Suicides are a common outcome because lack of resources. More than 700 000 people die by suicide per year.  Let’s start talking, not just once a year, but everyday. Let’s make this stigma a thing of the past and let’s find more accessible resources for those in need. 

Depression: Depression is like wearing a mask where you put on a positive face for the world to see but underneath you are suffocating in overwhelming emotions in contrast to the mask you show the outside world. 

Anxiety: Anxiety often feels like you are suffocating and suffering internal stabbing pains. This can strike at any moment, for any reason, causing you to shut down both physically and mentally. 

Social Anxiety: Everyday activities like school, work or just going to the store can make you feel extremely nervous, shaky, sweaty and foggy. The crowd continues through their day while you feel like you are the centre of everyone’s attention. This can cause you to avoid many social situations.

Bipolar: There are two sides to bipolar, the “high” and the “low” commonly referred to as manic depressive disorder. You can go from euphoric and on top of the world to depressed “the crash” into a deep dark depression, often deeper than your everyday depression. This crash can happen within a matter of minutes. 

PTSD: PTSD is the acronym for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. This is caused from a traumatic event in someone’s life. Flashbacks can trigger a moment that causes a person to relive the event mentally. During a moment of panic you try to get some relief from these haunting moments. 

OCD: OCD is the acronym for Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. This can affect people of all ages and can manifest itself in various ways including getting caught up in a cycle of obsessions and compulsions to feeling not worthy or experiencing distressing feelings like anxiety. Seemingly small imperfections or disordered things can cause the need to fix the out of place items. 

Eating Disorders: Eating disorders are irregular eating behaviours, either over or under eating with distress about how your body looks. Your brain may change the perception of how your body should look or make you feel chained to food.

ADHD: Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder is commonly known as ADHD. This is commonly found in children and teens. This can be shown by not being able to pay attention and unable to control impulses along with hyperactive behaviours. You may feel like a whiteboard with all your thoughts and perceptions scattered all over.

BPD: Borderline Personality Disorder is commonly known as BPD. With BPD you often have a hard time regulating your emotions, causing you to feel emotions more intensely. A BPD episode can fracture relationships causing you to say things that are out of character, leaving you to pick up the pieces afterwards.

Suicide: While suicide isn't a mental illness, it’s a tragic outcome for those who feel they can’t stop the suffering and aren’t able to get the help they need.  

By bringing attention to mental illness to foster conversations that battle the stigmas, hopefully will allow you to receive the same support and compassion you would expect if you were suffering from a physical illness. 

Photography by: JER Photography (Jordana Maginnis) 

Hair & Makeup: Emma: @emmajeancreative, Tammy: @neron.artistry

Studio: @signaturestudio.yeg

Models: Chelsea Hee, Angelica: @realbbypluto, Deonna Fetzko @a_peace_of_deonna, Katie Walker FB: Katrina Walker, Michael Coutu, Alix De Roca @_lil_red_dragon_, Crystin Kilmarnock @crystin94, Candice Murray @calemu83, Rachel Wiles @lilithheart, Kris: @kristoph_errr @vivmentalhealth