Mind Games

By Genoa Barrow | OBSERVER Senior Staff Writer He may not have a degree in psychiatry, but Damien Harris’ lived experiences have made him an expert on mental illness. Harris has been diagnosed with depression and bipolar disorder. He knows what the inside of a padded room looks and feels like. He has attempted suicide more than once. “I’ve always had issues with depression since I was a young child,” says the Inland Empire native, who has lived in Sacramento since the late 1990s. “In the 40 years I’ve been on this planet, I’ve dealt with a lot more things than most people have,” Harris adds. He almost died at birth. His brother passed away one Christmas and his parents’ marriage unraveled soon thereafter. Harris says he had an abusive stepfather who tried to force himself on him. Moves to vastly different environments were also traumatic. He was exposed to gangs and gunshots in East Oakland. “I’ve always lived ‘’hood adjacent,’” Harris says. “Not to mention I was always the ‘weird kid.’ I was always a target for people, whether it be ridicule or just touching themselves or whatnot. Not to mention I had a speech impediment. I had a...