Photo Credit © Chris Jackson/PA via ZUMA Press
Some people stop going into situations because of a fear of being overwhelmed by anxiety and not being able to escape or get help. Buster Burns, a former drag queen, has 8 personalities and has not left his house for past 9 years. Buster suffers from agoraphobia. ’Facebook is my whole life,’ he stated of the social media platform, which allows him to interact with others without leaving the security of his home. Those who suffer from this debilitating disorder typically avoid places where they feel immediate escape might be difficult, such as shopping malls, public transportation, and open places. Agoraphobia is particularly common in people with panic disorder. Their world may become smaller as they are constantly on guard, waiting for the next panic attack. Buster Burns lives in Little Rock, Arkansas and used to be as extroverted as they come, once a successful drag queen, he would walk the stage as Ophelia every week in a crowded club. After the sudden death of a friend in 2000, Buster started slowly to retreat from public life. Today Buster spends his days with a supportive Facebook community, chatting for up to 10 hours a day. His sister visits him once a week to bring groceries and anything he might need from the outside world. Agoraphobia currently affects over 200,000 people in the United States. This debilitating condition is chronic, and those affected are often restrained to their home to avoid people and places that cause anxiety.
Sit back and enjoy POM! “The Pictures of the Month” presented by Scott Mc Kiernan and ZUMA Press. Images chosen from ZUMA’s huge volume of 1 million images from the month of April, shows the work of photojournalists documenting the most important events of the past month. ZUMA’s talented staff Ruaridh Stewart, Julie Rogers, Mark Avery, Shalan Stewart, Seth Greenberg and POM Editor Jim Colton contributed to this show. My thanks to all of the photographers. Your hard work is appreciated and very visible in these collections.
The Anja Niedringhaus Courage in Photojournalism Award was created to honor the life and work of Pulitzer Prize-winning AP photographer and IWMF Courage in Journalism Award winner Anja Niedringhaus (1965-2014). With this Award, the IWMF celebrates the courageous work of women photojournalists like Anja. The Award recognizes the importance of visual journalistic work that inspires us to take action and compels us to better understand the world. Created in 2014 with a $1 million gift from the Howard G. Buffett Foundation, the Award will be given annually to a woman photojournalist whose work reflects courage and dedication, as Anja’s does. The Award winner will be publicly honored, have her work showcased, and receive a cash prize of $20,000.
Web site link: https://www.iwmf.org/about/
