The topic of this week’s Table Talk was using art to represent the reality faced by those struggling with their mental health. This was a very unique portrayal of mental illness, as it allowed for a non-verbal, abstract way to describe what is largely considered a purely factual or concrete topic. Often times when we are told about depression or other mental health issues, it’s with a list of possible symptoms and consequences. However, these problems are deeply rooted in emotions, which are much harder to communicate with words. That’s why using paintings seemed so effective. In many cases, the purpose of art is to convey a feeling or emotion that cannot be put into words, making it the perfect medium to display what someone with mental health problems might be feeling.
This Table Talk also sparked another, perhaps more personal conversation, this one about the mental health issue in Cornell. This University is already considered one of the most stressful places to go to school, and I’m sure everyone on campus can attest to that. Half the conversations I have with my friends are about how much work we have in the coming week, or how much sleep we won’t get. It’s gotten to the point where 5-6 hours sleep is considered a good night, while 3-4 is considered normal. Of course, Cornell is a competitive University, so large workloads and stress are to be expected. But, the real issue comes with how the administration handles that stress. We’d hope that mitigating it as much as they possibly could would be a top priority, but that may not be the case. While I didn’t know of this before-hand, many members at the Table Talk brought up how Cornell has not been keeping up with a previous plan to try and improve mental health on campus, which would include more counselors. In addition, there were also stories about how when someone did go for counseling, it was largely ineffective. I’m not aware enough of the administration’s decisions to make any large claims, but I can see that everyone would benefit if the University put more effort into addressing mental health issues, and I’m hoping other students see that as well. Hopefully we’ll see improvements in the future.
Last semester I went to a talk given by John Cleese, and he also mentioned how astonished he was with Cornell’s handling of mental health issues. He said he talked with students who said they were stressed. Then he said he talked with administrators who said they realized Cornell caused a lot of stress on the students. It was at this point in his talk that John said in an exasperated tone that he didn’t get it. If everyone agrees stress is a problem at Cornell, how is it remaining a problem.
The artistic portrayal of mental illness is an interesting concept. While words definitely cannot be used to describe feelings completely, I don’t think visual art can either. Because art is so based on the interpretation of the audience, while you might be able to get a general sense of what the artist wants to evoke, it still lacks nuance in delivering a message.
In terms of the stress of Cornell, I hope you find that it does get easier to get more sleep as an upperclassman. Instead of celebrating 7 hours of sleep, I had senior friends who were complaining about getting less than 9 hours this semester.