The Art of Observation
by Erica Pierce (Summer 2016)
We all know one of the best ways to get to know a city is people watch. Luckily, DC makes this a very easy task, as its streets are rife with accommodations that make process of observation both subtle and enlightening – most notable of these are its benches.
Erica stopped here at the benches encircling the Washington Monument after a sunrise run and observed a number of homeless people waking up from makeshift beds.
As a Psychology student, I possess a growing curiosity concerning the human mind, our ever-changing social tendencies, and the often culturally-created social divides that bring about tension in areas rich in diversity. My ultimate professional vision is to harness this curiosity in a way that will allow me to guide individuals strained with mental disorders, phobias, and addictions in organizing their thoughts productively – ultimately, in hopes to liberate them from social stigma and cognitive alienation.
While interning for an international nonprofit in mental health, I learned a lot about the degree to which people in America talk about mental illness, as well as the extent to which it is a part of our global dialogue. Although we are beginning to see and believe in the increasing national population of those suffering from a mental illness, there is a long way to go when it comes to breaking down the stigma surrounding them. While my frequent bench-sitting, people-watching sessions have opened my eyes to a lot of love and compassion in this city – parents playing with their kids in the park, elderly couples sharing moments of nostalgia – it also exposed me to a population of alienated and suffering individuals that have collectively motivated me to invest myself in my ADAA position this summer. Not a day has passed in which I did not see a homeless person treated with bypassing neglect or disrespect; every field trip hosted by BUDC – from Arlington Cemetery to the National Cathedral – exposed me to more and more mental health-related issues. The problem is ubiquitous and virtually unavoidable, which is largely what makes it so infuriating.
The BUDC trip to NPR gave Erica hope that there are platforms where very educated, motivated individuals are dealing with important issues and discuss them by the hour.
After having the opportunity to listen in on several congressional briefings and panels on the Hill that covered mental health initiatives, I was inspired to take on some of my own research, using my personal bench tour as a platform for exposure. I learned that currently 744,000 people in America live without a home, approximately one third of who are suffering from a mental illness. Thus, mental health is global concern, rooted in a rabbit hole of systematic issues that can feel out of reach; but I do not believe this excuses us from addressing it. In order to move forward, we must recognize that these disorders are inextricably related to physical impairments, and our health care system and popular dialogue should begin to treat them as such.
Although not directly related to my internship or prospective professional path, my course in government and the media has exposed me to the expediency of the press, thus, revealing the ways our political conversations have become less thoughtful. Rooted in my reflections from local benches and prompted by the skills I obtained in the classroom, I will be leaving DC all the more motivated to become a part of the movement that breaks down stigma around mental health and takes steps toward the prevention, treatment, and cure of these very real, all-too-common disorders.
Erica is a senior studying Psychology and Philosophy and interning for the Anxiety and Depression Association of America.
