Following Word Mental Health Day on October 10th, London-based artist and producer TUSKS shares her own experience of mental health issues through aptly named single ‘Mind’. For Emily Underhill, it’s Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, and more specifically a subset of that diagnosis referred to as Harm OCD, that has plagued her for the past two years. Speaking about her bid to raise awareness of the condition, Underhill says, “It can take people on average 14 years to get the correct diagnosis and start treatment. I think a lot of that is caused by a lack of understanding of what OCD can actually include and not being aware that what you’re experiencing is actually OCD.” The visual element of this song is vital to understanding what it’s like living with OCD from the artist’s perspective. As Underhill explains: “The aim of the video was to portray what it's like living with a type of OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder) called Harm OCD, which I have struggled with over the past few years and is what Mind was written about. It's specific intense anxiety caused by thinking you've accidentally hurt someone because you weren't careful enough. The video shows me walking past people and Moses (my amazing skeleton dancer) playing my OCD and shoving into people as we pass them. With OCD you then find it harder and harder to ignore these thoughts and end up engaging with them, shown by Moses and myself dancing and interacting with each other. I really wanted to show the whole thing in a creative and entrancing way, to have a really strong visual but also try and explain harm OCD in a simple and effective way to help raise awareness of it – I'm really proud of my whole team for what we've managed to achieve.” Moreover the improvised jazz textures in ‘Mind’ reflect the unpredictability of one’s thought processes, especially when dealing with neuro-atypical symptoms. The spiking guitars could be heard as pangs of anxiety and Underhill’s vocal bursts mirror sudden emotional changes. It’s hard to come away from listening to ‘Mind’ unaffected. Watch the equally powerful music video, directed by Heini Susanne, below. - Hannah Thacker