Commission adopts child’s design for mental health

(CNS): Having recently been diagnosed with Asperger’s syndrome, 8-year-old Hope Academy student Kaydence Whitney said she was keen to help others who have experienced similar social difficulties and peer rejection. Her first step in helping to raise awareness of what many kids and adults go through when they are living with mental health challenges, Kaydence’s design, whichshe submitted for the Mental Health Commission’s logo competition, was selected as the winner. She was one of ten students who submitted images but Kaydence’s personal story brings significance to the commission’s identity, officials said,  by using her symbolism to help fight the stigma around mental illness.

Selecting the winning design was based on adherence to the commission’s mission and advocacy goals.

Describing the logo, Kaydence said it represented “all the people who have something different with their brains and how they feel because of it”. The teardrop shapes with words written on them represent the experiences and feelings of a person who has mental illness. At the bottom a person with open arms symbolises the Mental Health Commission.

“The person is welcoming everyone, no matter what makes them different, because they give people hope,” said Kaydence.

The logo is currently undergoing production and a final copy will be revealed within the next month.  Announcing Kaydence’s win on 6 November, the commission presented her with an iPad Mini that was co-sponsored by Tony Cleaver of Cayman MAC Store, Behavioural Health Associates Cayman (BHAC), and The Wellness Centre.

The World Health Organization (WHO) defines Asperger's syndrome (AS) as one of the autism spectrum disorders (ASD) characterized by irregularities in social interaction and communication that pervade an individual's functioning.