The Ministry of Health and Welfare and the New Taipei City Government are holding a special art exhibition to raise public awareness about the effort that people with mental illness put into rehabilitation and help reduce the stigma associated with mental illness.
Preparing for the exhibition has brought out patients’ potential and their pieces serve as a form of communication, allowing others to see their honesty, said Chang Chieh-hsin (張介信), director at the ministry’s care center in New Taipei City’s Bali District (八里).
The project was inspired by the TV drama The World Between Us (我們與惡的距離), which is about the mental struggles of people involved in a murder case, Chang said.
Photo: Lai Hsiao-tung, Taipei Times
A rehabilitation center and other facilities have been established to encourage care center patients to socialize with local residents, Chang said.
“We facilitate training and improve the daily lives of the patients. The project aims to help people work on communicating with others,” Chang said.
The patients at the care center have invested a lot of effort into preparing the exhibition, center doctor Chang Tzu-chiang (張自強) said, adding that one of the pieces, a pair of wings mounted on a wall, was made from medicine packages and symbolizes patients becoming better.
Photo: Lai Hsiao-tung, Taipei Times
Lin Che-hsi (林哲熹), who played a mentally ill character in the TV drama, said that when their condition is stabilized, people with mental illness are like any other person with a chronic disease, that they can work and live with other people.
Patients undergo rehabilitation to learn new skills, allowing them to feel accomplished, Lin said, adding that advocacy groups and family members help patients become “better” and return to society.
The free exhibition, on display at Guangfu Hall and Huatsui Hall in Banciao District’s (板橋) 435 Art Zone, runs until Aug. 12, the center said, adding that there would be additional events on weekends, including tours.
SPACE VETERAN: Kjell N. Lindgren, who helps lead NASA’s human spaceflight missions, has been on two expeditions on the ISS and has spent 311 days in space Taiwan-born US astronaut Kjell N. Lindgren is to visit Taiwan to promote technological partnerships through one of the programs organized by the US for its 250th national anniversary. Lindgren would be in Taiwan from Tuesday to Saturday next week as part of the US Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs’ US Speaker Program, organized to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) said in a statement yesterday. Lindgren plans to engage with key leaders across the nation “to advance cutting-edge technological partnerships and inspire the next generation of scientists and engineers,”
UNREASONABLE SURVEILLANCE: A camera targeted on an road by a neighbor captured a man’s habitual unsignaled turn into home, netting him dozens of tickets The Taichung High Administrative Court has canceled all 45 tickets given to a man for failing to use a turn signal while driving, as it considered long-term surveillance of his privacy more problematic than the traffic violations. The man, surnamed Tseng (曾), lives in Changhua County and was reported 45 times within a month for failing to signal while driving when he turned into the alley where his residence is. The reports were filed by his neighbor, who set up security cameras that constantly monitored not only the alley but also the door and yard of Tseng’s house. The surveillance occurred from July
A Japan Self-Defense Forces vessel entered the Taiwan Strait yesterday, Japanese media reported. After passing through the Taiwan Strait, the Ikazuchi was to proceed to the South China Sea to take part in a joint military exercise with the US and the Philippines, the reports said. Japan Self-Defense Force vessels were first reported to have passed through the strait in September, 2024, with two further transits taking place in February and June last year, the Asahi Shimbun reported. Yesterday’s transit also marked the first time since Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi took office that a Japanese warship has been sent through the Taiwan
‘SAME OLD TRICK’: Even if Beijing resumes individual travel to Taiwan, it would only benefit Chinese tourism companies, the Economic Democracy Union convener said China’s 10 new “incentives” are “sugar-coated poison,” an official said yesterday, adding that Taiwanese businesses see them clearly for what they are, but that Beijing would inevitably find some local collaborators to try to drums up support. The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, made the remark ahead of a news conference the General Chamber of Commerce is to hold today. The event, titled “Industry Perspectives on China’s Recent Pro-Taiwan Policies,” is expected to include representatives from industry associations — such as those in travel, hotels, food and agriculture — to request the government cooperate with China’s new measures, people familiar with
RSS