“I wanted to create something of my own that I could be proud of, and announce to everyone that I live with a mental illness." Given the stigma surrounding mental illness, it may seem pretty radical to wear your condition on your sleeve. But that's exactly what graphic designer Michelle Hammer wants you to do. Hammer [...]

Mental illnesses such as schizophrenia aren’t often addressed publicly and can be heavily misunderstood. This is why NYC-based graphic designer Michelle Hammer, 27, who suffers from the illness herself, has launched a clothing line designed to raise awareness of the disease and change how people generally perceive it. Hammer launched her company Schizophrenic.NYC in 2015 [...]

Schizophrenic.NYC was featured in The Mighty! Michelle Hammer wants to change the way people from New York City think about mental illness. But, instead of fighting stigma with words or campaigns, she’s doing it with designs anyone can wear. Hammer, who lives with schizophrenia, decided it was time to make a change after encountering a homeless [...]

This Is What It’s Like To Live With Schizophrenia: Three people with schizophrenia share their stories. Schizophrenia is a chronic and disabling — but treatable — brain disorder affecting more than 21 million people worldwide. Of those people, only half receive treatment. Symptoms, which usually begin between ages 16 and 30, primarily include hallucinations and [...]

Being Schizophrenic I deal with a lot of stigma daily. I hope by spreading the word about Schizophrenic.NYC we can reduce stigma and promote tolerance. Read More >

'Without my family and friends, I could be homeless': Schizophrenic woman, 27, launches clothing line to help get mentally ill people stay off New York City streets Michelle Hammer, who lives in Astoria, Queens, was diagnosed with schizophrenia when she was 22 Her clothing company, Schizophrenic.NYC, sells T-shirts and tank tops with her own colorful Rorschach Test designs [...]