The "Let's not Ignore - Adventure of Schizophrenia from Prehistory to Date" exhibition, which aims to raise awareness of schizophrenia, met art lovers in Istanbul yesterday as part of World Schizophrenia Day, May 24. Attempting to draw attention to schizophrenia by rejecting all prejudices and impressions about it, the exhibition began to attract great attention. It can be visited until May 24 at the Deniz Gallery.

The exhibition, which can be seen between 10.00 a.m. and 05.00 p.m., features interesting visuals and dioramas that reveal the methods used in the diagnosis and treatment of mental illnesses from earlier times to date, the approach of societies to these illnesses and centuries-old works by scientists and doctors.

Having met in various places in Turkey for four years, it has been visited by more than two million people so far. It caught the attention of visitors with its rich content prepared by experts in this subject and creative exhibiting styles prepared with visual, audio effects in three-dimensional boxes and dioramas.

Opportunity to experience schizophrenia

Visitors to the exhibition, which is a first on the theme of schizophrenia in Turkey, will find an opportunity to experience what a schizophrenic patient feels in high gear of the illness at the "Empathy Cabin."

In this cabin, which is totally isolated from any noise and is totally dark, visual and audio hallucinations that are often seen by schizophrenic patients are portrayed to demonstrate what these patients live and feel to others through empathy.

In the exhibition entitled "Rotating Bed," mirrors draw the attention of visitors, as well.

The "Rotating Bed" is a good example that shows what schizophrenic patients were exposed to for treatment in the period when there was no scientific evidence and doctors had only limited treatment methods. In this method, which was used in the 1850s in the treatment of schizophrenia, the patients were laid in a bed which is connected to a rotating mechanism and they were fastened to the bed. Then, with the centrifugal force formed by rotating the bed at a high speed, it was hoped that the increase in blood pressure in the brain would restore the patient's balance. However, nausea, the feeling of drowning, fear and loss of consciousness were observed in the patient from this treatment. In the exhibition, a slower rotating bed used to represent the experience has been created for visitors to try.

Furthermore, with mirrors of the human form that have been placed throughout the exhibition, it is shown to visitors that schizophrenia occurs in nearly one out of every 100 people in society and is a possibility in everyone's life regardless of sex, race, culture, education or socio-economic class.