Interactive exhibit about mental health opens at Carnegie Science Center - CBS Pittsburgh

Watch CBS News

Interactive exhibit about mental health opens at Carnegie Science Center

Interactive exhibit about mental health opens at Carnegie Science Center
Interactive exhibit about mental health opens at Carnegie Science Center 03:11

A new interactive exhibit called "Mental Health: Mind Matters" just opened at the Carnegie Science Center. It's designed to encourage conversation and connection around the issue of mental illness.

People are often afraid to talk about mental illness, but this exhibit is helping break the stigma. In fact, one in five adults in the U.S. struggles with mental illness.

"Even if you don't know directly that someone is struggling with mental health, you probably know someone who is, so this is designed to help facilitate conversations," says Jason Brown, the Henry Buhl Jr. director of Carnegie Science Center. 

This touring exhibit focuses on the seven most common mental illnesses, including depression, PTSD and eating disorders. It explains the science of what's happening in the brain and shares personal stories of people experiencing the illnesses.

Thirteen-year-old Arya Zevallos visited the exhibit with her family from Upper Saint Clair and her relatives visiting from Atlanta. She says of the exhibit, "It's helpful for people who struggle with these things to feel seen and to feel like people understand and that they can go to people and that they are not alone with what they're struggling with."

"Mental Health: Mind Matters" is designed for anyone 11 and older, though much of it is appropriate for younger children. Any area with sensitive material is clearly labeled.

A "worry shredder" is a symbolic way of releasing stress and anxiety where you can express your concerns and watch them fall away. The younger kids especially like an area designed to teach how movement and exercise can help with mental health.

"That exhibit applies to the 'move a muscle, change a thought' mentality where if you're struggling with things in your head, sometimes it's helpful to do physical exercise which allows you to escape the anxiety," Brown says. "And so that's another opportunity for kids to see if they're stressed out about something or anxious about something, it gives strategies for how they can deal with that."

Another area explores the history of the treatment of mental illness, including Freud's theories from the 1870s and the evolution of mental hospitals. Visitors to the exhibit have found it illuminating and a great conversation starter for people of all ages.

"I think it helps to normalize the discussion of mental illness and help kids identify when they have an issue to talk about," says parent Amber Zevallos, who experienced the exhibit with her teenagers.

"Being able to learn about it, you see the reality of it," her daughter Arya says. "So if you see that, and you [think], 'I know someone who says they struggle with this. Is that really what they're going through?' You're able to speak to them. 'You can come to me.'"

Every Wednesday and Saturday, local mental health organizations will be at the exhibit to talk with visitors. It's all included with admission and will be there until mid-August.

For more on mental health resources and information, especially for families, go to Kidsburgh's mental health page here

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.