guest post by Peter Glanting
I am a cartoonist and illustrator, and I want to use my work to share my experiences with mental health. After struggling with anxiety, depression, and the challenges of treatment, I’ve realized how important it is to talk openly about these issues. Through comics and illustration, I hope to capture the complexities of healing—both the difficult moments and the small victories—in a way that resonates with others. By telling my story, I want to help break the stigma around mental health and let others know they’re not alone.
-Last year was the hardest of my life. What started as a health scare and job uncertainty spiraled into a mental health crisis that led me through psychiatric hospitalization, intensive outpatient care, and ultimately, residential treatment. I spent months in therapy, learning how to stabilize, cope, and—perhaps hardest of all—be kind to myself. Healing hasn’t been a straight path, but for the first time in a long time, I have hope. By sharing my experience, I hope to help others feel less alone in their struggles and encourage more open conversations about mental health. And after everything I’ve been through, that hope feels like a victory.
Peter, thank you for creating this important, visually wonderful, insightful, honest work of your life.