I'M ON the phone to Emma Pollock wondering how I'm going to ask about her state of mind. The ex-Delgados singer is one of the organising forces behind Vitamin B, a live music highlight in the Scottish Mental Health Arts and Film Festival, so it's natural to wonder if she has experienced mental illness herself. Yet to ask the question seems rude. There'd be no problem inquiring about her history of broken bones or how often she'd had chicken pox, but mental health is a taboo.
"It's a difficult topic for people to handle," she says. "There's a gloss that's been placed over so many aspects of our lives. There are people out there who really need some help and they don't feel comfortable even about raising the subject, never
mind finding help. The taboo isn't helping anybody. It's alienating and that's going to backfire."
That's why, when I ask her, she answers me straight: "I had post-natal depression. It was utterly terrifying. It was as if somebody had turned the world upside down. I didn't understand what it looked like any more. I didn't recognise it.
"People quite often say they've had a bad day, but they'll wake up the next morning and be able to see it in perspective. But with depression, that's just thrown out the window. You don't have the faith that it will change."
It's one of the principles of the festival, which takes place everywhere from Dalry to Dundee, that the participants have some experience of mental illness. Festival director Lee Knifton is against the Bob Geldof school of consciousness-raising and insists on there being a link between artists and theme.
"I'm not a fan of Live Aid because there's not a connection," he says. "You find an issue and just have some general music which raises support. Most of our musicians have a connection with mental health. We've spoken to each of them quite carefully about their contribution."
At the same time, the festival's remit is broad. Knifton has made his programme as inclusive as possible, projecting the idea that mental health is central not marginal to our lives.
While some events deal with health issues head on, others such as Pollock's gig or the Royal Lyceum's Macbeth have a more tangential relationship. "We're trying to work in the ideas about the mental health that everyone experiences," he says. "We all have mental health and it fluctuates over time. People with a defined mental illness aren't in a different group."
"It's an opportunity to bring a really important topic to the fore and to do it through a medium which is one of the most expressive forms of art," says Pollock, who'll be showcasing tracks from her debut solo album Watch The Fireworks, and at least one new song.
"We're trying to dispel the assumption that mental health is always a negative. There are many things that can still be learned by people about how to live their lives in the happiest state."
Her gig, on October 10 at Glasgow's ABC, features Kenny Anderson (King Creosote), Future Pilot AKA vs Concerto Caledonia and Duglas T Stewart (BMX Bandits), and follows a similar evening curated by Idlewild's Rod Jones who has endured bouts of depression himself. Other music events include a lunchtime Schubert concert in Perth and a sitar performance in Dundee.
The literary programme includes appearances by Liz Lochhead, Tom Leonard and Denise Mina; the extensive film line-up includes screenings of Cathy Come Home, Joy Division, Lars And The Real Girl and even High School Musical; while the visual arts have a strong emphasis on community expression.
Laughter being the best medicine, the Stand in Glasgow is hosting a Laff Yer Heid Aff night. "If you can laugh at something, maybe you'll fear it less," says stand-up Raymond Mearns, writer and star of a mental health comedy DVD, which the audience will receive. "People work all week, they've got things on their minds, it's nice to have a laugh and get all those endorphins out. It's therapeutic."
Theatre highlights include David Benson's Think No Evil Of Us, a tribute to troubled Carry On star Kenneth Williams, and Hannah And Harvey, a new show by Glasgow's Reeling and Writhing. Written by Tim Nunn, this play deals with teenage anxiety disorder and takes inspiration from the true story of the playwright's niece, Helen Nunn, whose work as an artist will be on show at Easterhouse's Platform.
"It's the story of a young girl and her father," says Tim Nunn. "She's found herself in a difficult situation and the way the show illustrates her condition is through fantasy, music and drama. It's fast moving and full of life. The play is not therapeutic – we hope people will come for its own value – but it does address stigmas of mental health."
To achieve a radical shift in public prejudice about mental health will take a lot of work. Knifton has only to look at the figures for workplace discrimination to know there is a long way to go, but he hopes his festival, now in its second year, will not only entertain but make a difference.
"We've managed to get the big art institutions and public organisations involved and people from across these sectors wanting to talk at events," he says, hoping the festival will spread to satellite cities across Europe next year. "That's how change happens." v
Scottish Mental Health Arts and Film Festival, various venues around Scotland, Wednesday until October 19 www.mhfestival.com, www.mentalhealth.org.uk
