A Powerful Portrait of Psychosis guest review by Eric J. Keller, MD/MA candidate, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine Viewotron offers a powerful image of not only a devastating mental illness but the toll that such an illness can have on those who care for them. Sam Sharpie’s graphic novel would be a valuable asset to any family member seeking to better understand his/her relationship with a loved one struggling with a psychotic disorder. Whether as an educational experience or safe place to commiserate though a shared experience, I think this short piece is well worth the read. I would… Read More
New Podcast: Graphic Pathographies
Use the Quicktime player above to view images along with the audio. If you don’t have Quicktime, you can listen to the audio-only version below. This wonderful panel, moderated by Michael Green, presents the creators of three unique and insightful graphic pathographies. Jenny Lin is a visual artist based in Montreal. She has created experimental narrative-based works in the formats of 2-D print, artist books, video and site-specific installation. She recently worked as a medical illustrator at McGill University and she currently teaches at Concordia University in the Print Media program. www.jenny-lin.ca. She writes of her presentation, In my presentation, Skinny… Read More
Family Fun
A couple of months ago I heard a talk given by a comics artist who goes under the name of Una. One of her projects is a comic about dealing with psychosis in a relative, including being with them while they undergo the process of being detained under the mental health act. The series is in development and will be launched as a comic book at an exhibition in Leeds in February http://www.leeds-artexhibitions.co.uk Here is a sneak preview:
The Secret of the Brain Chip
My registrar Paul Smith gave me this. He was given it during a psychiatry attachment, by a pharmaceuticals rep. It was produced in 2003 by three belgian psychiatrists, one of whom, Erik Thys, did the illustration. It was produced with financial support from Janssen-Cilag, the pharmaceutical firm, and is dedicated to the founder: Dr Paul Janssen. I mention all this at the outset because I see it as very relevant. It does seem to me to be a book made with the best of intentions, using an easilly accessible medium (comics, although there is prose, poetry and medical text in… Read More