Group Therapy: Mental Distress in a Digital Age @ FACT

Albert Einstein once said that “technological progress is like an axe in the hands of a pathological criminal” and I think he may have been on to something. It is common knowledge that one in four people in the UK will battle some degree of mental illness during their lifetime. But what is given far less scope is why, in a technologically sophisticated corner of the world, so many are forced to battle with these mental health issues alone.

The latest exhibition at FACT (Foundation for Art and Creative Technology) has been cultivated to encourage reflection upon individual mental health. Exploring the destructive effects of depression, the frustrating hallucinations of psychosis and even the consequences of war stress upon veterans and their families, the exhibit is well worth a visit for anybody who’s ever felt alienated (or whipped) by the frighteningly influential digital age.

Group Therapy: Mental Distress in a Digital Age ,explores the bewildering relationship between technology, society and mental health. If you’ve ever felt so damn frustrated that nothing but screaming at the top of your lungs would give you release, the sound-proofed room at the exhibit will let you blow off steam. Within a boxy, pitch-black cinema, harrowing tales of manic depression and the slow decline into a bleak world of nothingness are breathtakingly portrayed by the metaphoric ‘black dog’ sketch, illustrating how consuming the illness can be. Within the sketch, created by artists Kate Owens and Neeta Madahar, the protagonist approaches depression head-on in a desperate attempt to better understand how her feelings and experiences define her personality, and as we follow her on the journey to self-acceptance, we’re forced to contemplate the times in our own lives when we’ve ever felt alone, dejected or empty. The exhibit beautifully demonstrates how we should all take the time to familiarise with depression; an illness that currently impacts more than 350 million of us worldwide.

Possibly the most elusive of all exhibits at FACT is the Labyrinth Psychotica, forcing even the most stable minds into a weary state of contemplation and uncertainty. As you’re handed a lab coat and led into utter darkness, you’re forced to immerse yourself into the mesmerising, terrifying and confronting world of psychosis. Immeasurable twists and turns leading you further into the unknown trick your mind into replicating symptoms of psychosis. Expect strobe lighting, claustrophobia and absolute darkness (with whispering voices thrown in to really trip you out).

Many of us find ourselves utterly hurt and humiliated, but forcing our most convincing smile. We’ve conditioned ourselves to mask our true emotions, but there’s no escaping the heart-rate monitor at FACT. Visitors are told to lay themselves flat on a bed, attaching a clip to their right ear. A screen above, adorned with bright lighting, changes colour according to our real mood as decided by our heart-rate. Regardless of how convincing your smile may be the device knows what’s really in your heart of hearts, and doesn’t hold back as it cascades the appropriate lighting across the room.

Other exhibits include In Hand, a smartphone app which acts as a ‘digital friend’ in times of low mood, depression and/or anxiety, developed in collaboration with young people who have experienced the full demand of mental health issues. The app uses a ‘traffic light’ system, allowing the user to communicate how they are feeling, to which the app responds by suggesting a number of actions which help them to manage feelings of stress, anxiety or depression.