︎NYC
︎2021

“All five versions of The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders are rooted in exploitative and ignorant forms of research. Historically functioning as a form of validation for those positioned to reap the benefits, a classist gate-keeping system, and a clinical perpetrator of sexism while heavily contributing to gender based expectations as we have come to understand them.”

Concepting & Proces

Mother’s Little Helper by The Rolling Stones (1966) was one of the many songs that inspired this project. Its lyrics take a dark comical approach on dealing with "trapped housewife" phenomenon, made up of mothers who felt unfulfilled with their daily lives and the societal expectation that they remain at home. The focus is on a middle-aged woman with children who has become dependent on prescribed Valium to alleviate her feelings of existential pain, so she asks her doctor to write extra prescriptions. It is the first folk-rock and pop song to address middle-class drug dependency and its potential hazards of overdose and addiction. The first version of the Diagnostic Statistical Manual was published in 1952.

This video contains footage of burning a copy of the DSM-5 and drug consumption symbolism.