Photo project: what the bedside tables of chronic patients tell about

One photographer asked a simple question to people who suffer from chronic diseases: "What do your bedside tables say about you?" This is how The Nightstand Collective photo project turned out, in which Emma Jones, a photographer, writer and producer from Washington, publishes photos of bedside tables on condition of anonymity and shows what it's like to live with a chronic disease.

(10 photos in total)

Anorexia nervosa. ADHD. Borderline personality disorder. Major depressive disorder. Social phobia. Insomnia.

A series of pictures is a way for chronic patients to be in touch with each other and an incentive to share their experiences. Sometimes severe symptoms of the disease require bed rest. Bedside tables turn into personal spaces where patients store vital items.

Bipolar disorder.

"Only a few people see your bedside table. It becomes a very personal portrait that reflects our weaknesses, hopes and dreams. She can tell us what keeps us up at night and what we do to comfort ourselves," says the photographer.

Chronic pain syndrome. Fibromyalgia. Nerve damage. Spurs of the chest bone. Spurs of the cervical bone.

The site is filled exclusively with photos sent by representatives of the community of chronic patients. The only rule of Emma Jones is that participants cannot change anything on their nightstands before taking a photo. She wants to get to the bottom of the raw, raw experience of chronic illness.

Chronic pain syndrome. Fibromyalgia. Nerve damage. Spurs of the chest bone. Spurs of the cervical bone.

In the caption to each of the pictures there is a disease and a list of everything that is on the bedside table. The result is a collection of personal stories and a look at how chronic illness affects the lives of participants in the photo project.

Major depressive disorder. Anxiety. Obsessive-compulsive disorder. Complex post-traumatic stress disorder. Paranoid schizophrenia.

The source of inspiration for the photo project was the photographer's own experience of chronic diseases, including endometriosis, asthma, autoimmune thyroiditis, depression and anxiety disorder. Emma Jones had to spend a lot of time in bed, which quickly isolated her from active life. "My bedside table was a reflection of everything I was trying to use to survive in the new reality. In many ways, my life has narrowed, but when I look at my bedside table, I see all the directions in which I am growing and developing."

Type I diabetes. Polycystic ovaries. Endometriosis. Asthma. Lactose intolerance. Allergy. ADHD. Obsessive-compulsive disorder. Anxiety.

The photographer's own bedside table is usually littered with napkins, books, notebooks, sanitary and hygienic items and other medical items. She fills the nightstand with necessities and comforts, turning it into the most personal corner in the house.

Major depressive disorder. Generalized anxiety disorder.

"I've been wondering for a long time what other people have on their bedside table, how they cope with the disease, what they read and what they use to have more connection with the outside world. Just thinking about it gave me the opportunity to feel community through a very isolating experience," says the author of the photo project.

Hashimoto's craw. Fibromyalgia. Chronic fatigue syndrome. Tinnitus. Anxiety. Depression. Polycystic ovaries. Interstitial cystitis.

By posting pictures of bedside tables, which often contain things that patients need to survive, Jones hopes to present a more complete picture of life in conditions of chronic disease. "Stories heal us. Both our own and others'," she says.

Dropsy of the brain. Anxiety. Post-traumatic stress disorder. Obsessive-compulsive disorder. Chronic migraines. Chronic pain. Polycystic ovaries. Chronic dislocation of the joints. Infertility. Asthma. Fibromyalgia. Kidney failure. Floating patella. Chronic nosebleeds.

Chronic drowsiness. Major depressive disorder. Generalized anxiety disorder. Interstitial cystitis.