Document Actions
Another brick in the wall
Graffiti is not usually recommended as a legal means of self-expression or stress relief, but Kelly Mullan has found an online resource where it is positively encouraged as therapy
Bricks as a means of self-expression are no longer just for riots!
Members of Big White Wall, an online mental-wellbeing service, can draw
on bricks and post them on a wall, to garner emotional support from an
online community.
The drawing tools are easy and fun to use, and the process is cathartic. I tried out Big White Wall at a time of stress and found it a helpful release. The peer-support aspect took me by surprise: you don't expect kind, insightful comments from strangers online.
Jenny Hyatt, founder of Big White Wall, got the idea during a breakdown when she came across a community art project encouraging people to express themselves using graffiti on the walls of a condemned building.
She says: "Big White Wall is based on the notion of community: people having a group around them to help them work through difficult episodes in their lives. It reduces social isolation and we found that 72 per cent of people are sharing a problem for the first time.
"We charge for the service because it does have people working and moderating it 24/7. We place a lot of emphasis on people being safe and look out for bullying or seductive behaviour. I set up Big White Wall when I was in a fragile state so I know the importance of feeling safe when you're vulnerable.
"We're learning from our community how to be more accessible and Big White Wall meets WC3 accessibility standards. A member of the community with a visual impairment gave us feedback so we've increased the size of the avatars and used a new easier-to-read font."
The NHS has seen potential in the idea and 12 Primary Care Trusts (PCTs) are offering a free year's membership to the site from this month. Just type in your postcode to see if it's free in your area. If not, there's a charge of £2.00 per week.
"PCTs are interested because it saves money, it lets people access support quickly, it's less stigmatised, and insomniacs like me can access it from home at 4.00 in the morning," says Jenny Hyatt. "I've known at least two people who've killed themselves while on waiting lists to get psychological support. Big White Wall could unblock a health service set up primarily to deal with physical health: we're involved in policy debate on wellbeing and mental health."
Used in this way by the NHS, Big White Wall could be an innovative stopgap for people on waiting lists and could even help some people resolve their problems to the extent that they need no further intervention. Big White Wall should be seen as a useful adjunct to mental health services, however, and not another excuse to cut them further.