Artist: Amber Hickson
Year: 2012
Medium: Digital Image
Artist Statement: The DSM-5 was released in May 2013 at the annual conference for the American Psychiatric Association. Some of the many changes that attracted considerable commentary have included the lowering of diagnostic thresholds and the medicalization of grief. This infographic artwork explores how symptoms of grief and major depression can appear somewhat similar; however, they represent differing long-term situations and treating them the same way will lead to increases in antidepressant prescription sales by blurring “distinctions between mental health and illness” (Tartakovsky).