Disordered: A Collection of Poetry

Abstract

The basis for this chapbook of poetry (titled Disordered) was my experience with mental illnesses. There is a problem with lack of awareness of mental illness in writing communities and in other communities, as well as stigma surrounding these diseases. The title was chosen because I wanted to convey the idea that mental illness is something that is very difficult to deal with; however, it does not necessarily mean that you are disabled, a word that comes with a negative connotation. The projects consists of fifteen poems along with a table of contents, artist’s note, introduction, acknowledgements, notes, and reflection. It is broken down into three sections titled Collapse/Relapse, Me/You, and Potential. In my project, I wanted to portray people with mental illnesses as people similar to everyone else. However, I also wanted to show the unique problems that people with mental illnesses face. I feel that it is important to show both of these sides of people with mental illness, in order to get a full picture of what it is really like to have a mental illness. Writing in general helps me heal from my mental illnesses, and writing specifically about mental illness has helped me learn how to heal more effectively. My hope is that others will be able to relate to my writing and that it will bring about less stigma surrounding mental illness.