Image gallery for: Ucl neuroscience society crawling lilacs infestation by amelia smith the world appears different in times of troubled mental health this is partly what i wanted to portray in the painting brain states on the inside interfering with life on the outside in times of anxiety depression or disordered mental state the external world might seem strange clouded distant hostile especially when isolated it can become increasingly difficult to distinguish the troubles of the world from the troubles of the mind and brain the insect like neurons reflect negative patterns of thought scuttling around circling entangling merging with her appearance distorting her perception and identity mental health problems should not define who a person really is these troubles can be seen as an infestation of the brain not as a part of the self i have hope that greater understanding of the brain in mental illness will find new ways to drive the insect away break the cycle and in turn improve the lives of those suffering from such debilitating but still frequently misunderstood conditions