'Piece of Mind' art exhibit opens up discussion on mental health

The Vancouver Public Library is hosting an art gallery until the 15th of May designed to combat stigma surrounding issues of mental health.

Piece of Mind is being held in partnership with the BC Psychological Association. It's been the third year since the start of the Piece of Mind initiative, which seeks to explore the relationship between art and psychology.

"Both art and psychology also are looking at human behaviour in terms of the way we do things, in terms of the way we think, in terms of the way we feel," said registered psychologist and B.C.P.A. member Beverley Kort.

Kort helped select the 33 pieces featured in the exhibit, which were chosen from over 180 submissions from artists across B.C. "Resilience," in terms of mental health, is the theme for this year's exhibit.

Canadian agencies estimate that one in five Canadians will experience a mental illness in their lifetime, and the World Health Organization says depression is one of the leading causes of disability worldwide.

Kort hopes that community engagement with this event will help break down the stigma surrounding conversations about mental health.

"We're trying to normalize mental health," she said.

"We talk about our physical health all the time, why can't we just talk about our mental health?"

Beverley Kort, as interviewed by Gloria Macarenko on "Our Vancouver".