Meghan Mazella/ The Ithacan ITHACA RESIDENTS George and Lana Pfann look at photos in the “Nothing to Hide” exhibit at the Tompkins County Public Library.

By nature, it’s always quiet at the library. However, on Oct. 13, the Tompkins County Public Library was quiet for a different reason.

The library is hosting a photo exhibit titled “Nothing to Hide— Mental Illness In The Family,” which depicts individuals and their families coping with mental illnesses such as schizophrenia, depression and obsessive compulsive disorder. The exhibit runs through Oct. 31.

On this day, observers looked at the sobering photos in silence.

The event is sponsored by the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill (NAMI), and showcases black-and-white photographs displayed alongside interviews with afflicted individuals and their families.

A particularly powerful picture is of four women laughing, two of whom are identified as Cara and Tracey Baptiste. Both have an anxiety disorder, although the picture alone does not reveal any sign of illness. The goal of the photos was to depict the normality of these individuals, said Carol Booth, the program’s director. The exhibit puts a human face on mental illness, but does not dehumanize.

The Finger Lakes affiliation of NAMI helps heighten public awareness of mental illness every October, in honor of Mental Illness Awareness Week. Booth’s impetus for “Nothing to Hide” stems from a book of the same title featuring the photography of Gigi Kaeser.

One of the messages Booth hopes people will understand as they view the exhibit is also a principle message of NAMI: mental illness is not the fault of the individual or the family.

“Because mental illnesses are somewhat more complicated than other biological illness, they’re harder to diagnose and they’re harder to treat,” Booth said.

Jean Walters, president of the local Alliance for the Mentally Ill, also stressed the organization’s goal to eliminate misunderstandings, as well as educate families for better communication on the subject.

Walters, who helped found the alliance in 1985, hosted a reception on Oct. 13 for David Seay, executive director of NAMI-New York State.

Seay ended the reception quoting Winston Churchill, “You make a living by what you get, but you make a life by what you give.”

NAMI’s agenda includes lobbying state senators to pass bills such as Timothy’s Law, which seeks to provide full coverage for New York citizens’ mental health care.

In the front row of the reception sat Jesse Staffeld, an Ithaca resident. Although he is unsure of his exact diagnosis, Staffeld said he displays some of the symptoms of obsessive-compulsive disorder and bipolar disorder. In general, Staffeld’s illness has put a strain on his relationships.

He said it helped him understand who his real friends are, but it’s still hard for him to cultivate any deep friendships.

As he looked at the “Nothing to Hide” exhibit, Staffeld felt empathetic to the people in the photographs. He felt that he could relate to one story in particular about someone with obsessive-compulsive disorder.

Nowadays, he spends a good deal of his time educating himself on mental illness, so that he may learn more his own diagnostics.

“[Mentally ill] people can create a semblance of normality in their everyday lives,” Staffeld said.

Like many others who suffer from mental illness, he said he has a hard time coming to terms with “normality.”

Some of NAMI’s most well-known programs include “Breaking the Silence,” a school curriculum; “Peer to Peer,” a counseling group for coping with mental illness; and “In Our Own Voices,” a series of speeches by individuals with mental illness.

Walters said she is not content with the stigma and misconceptions floating around about mental illness, even in a progressive town like Ithaca. Because of this, Walters said, the alliance plays an important role in the community.