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yayarose's review against another edition
emotional
informative
reflective
fast-paced
4.5
It was a great quick little read that took me about an hour to complete. It was definitely educational in the sense that it showed me more about what mental health sufferers go through and I think it would be really beneficial for more people to read to continue breaking the stigma surrounding mental health.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Alcohol, Dementia, Mental illness, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Suicide, and Forced institutionalization
magyklyxdelish's review against another edition
2.0
1.5 rounded up
I appreciate what the author was trying to do with this graphic novel, however it just came off as superficial to me. It read like mini anecdotes sprinkled with some basic information you can find on Wikipedia. It didn’t really do much in the way of ending any stigmas though it did preach about it a lot. The suicide chapter was most troubling in that it felt a lot like he blamed the person committing suicide while saying the true sufferers are the people they leave behind. I understand the sentiment however that completely glosses over the feelings of the person who killed themself. Not to mention he makes it seem like all people who kill themselves do it while at peace of mind because they are content in the notion that it will all be over. That may be true in some cases but certainly not all. For many they struggle with it up until the final moment and in some cases experience regret right after. It’s fucking tragic for all involved, including the people left behind, but more so for the person who was hurting bad enough that they felt this was the only way.
The positives were found in the short length of the book and the author’s own personal story at the end. The most insight offered was when he spoke of his own struggles and I commend him for doing so. It’s not easy to talk about when it’s regarding your own struggles and it’s brave of him to add his own experience.
Overall I wish this had scratched more than just the surface. I was hoping for more of a deep dive but at least it was a quick enough read that it only took 15-20 mins.
I appreciate what the author was trying to do with this graphic novel, however it just came off as superficial to me. It read like mini anecdotes sprinkled with some basic information you can find on Wikipedia. It didn’t really do much in the way of ending any stigmas though it did preach about it a lot. The suicide chapter was most troubling in that it felt a lot like he blamed the person committing suicide while saying the true sufferers are the people they leave behind. I understand the sentiment however that completely glosses over the feelings of the person who killed themself. Not to mention he makes it seem like all people who kill themselves do it while at peace of mind because they are content in the notion that it will all be over. That may be true in some cases but certainly not all. For many they struggle with it up until the final moment and in some cases experience regret right after. It’s fucking tragic for all involved, including the people left behind, but more so for the person who was hurting bad enough that they felt this was the only way.
The positives were found in the short length of the book and the author’s own personal story at the end. The most insight offered was when he spoke of his own struggles and I commend him for doing so. It’s not easy to talk about when it’s regarding your own struggles and it’s brave of him to add his own experience.
Overall I wish this had scratched more than just the surface. I was hoping for more of a deep dive but at least it was a quick enough read that it only took 15-20 mins.
baasanka's review against another edition
3.0
I actually liked most of the book, though I assume Cunningham started running out of material halfway through because that "celebrities with mental illness" chapter was cheap filler through and through.
paigereitz's review against another edition
hopeful
informative
reflective
medium-paced
3.0
I was optimistic for this book, but it fell flat for me. It's pretty basic as far as information, though for lay readers, I guess that tracks. And sometimes it came across mildly judgmental in a way I didn't find helpful.
aoosterwyk's review against another edition
4.0
Excellent overview of mental health illnesses and the profession. I will be purchasing this for my high school library.
ashleyholstrom's review against another edition
2.0
I wish these stories were explored further. This could have been so much more.
mesy_mark's review against another edition
3.0
Tales in the psych ward, kinda. More like snapshots of people and then explanation of the disorder and the fact that it shouldn't be stigmatized. It was a brief book but it a good hour killer of my time that gets me involved with a topic that I love.
saidtheraina's review against another edition
3.0
I'm really glad this is shelved in nonfiction in my library system, because it totally is. Although the subtitle prepares you for short stories, they're really just short chapters discussing a different illness or illness-adjacent issue.
The art is really lovely, don't get me wrong. As Cunningham says in the last chapter, he's especially great with cityscapes.
Generally, though, this felt very didactic to me. The anecdotes or "stories" of Cunningham's experience generally take up less than half of each chapter, with statements teaching the reader about mental illness filling up the bulk of the book. Which would probably be helpful to a lot of people who haven't been exposed to many mental illness issues. But to me, it sometimes came off as a zine version of a "be sensitive to people who struggle with this" tract.
Maybe it's a geography thing. Maybe England is more supressed about these things than amerika. Personally, though I'm by no means an expert, I'm fascinated by the many ways our brains can be wired and have therefore sought out books, movies, and other media on this topic. I also have friends who are open about their struggles. So I feel like there was very little new information for me.
I appreciate the effort in this, the struggles Cunningham went through as he worked his way through it. I found his personal story (the last chapter) to be the most compelling part, and I wish that the book had had more of an overarching narrative, perhaps integrating his story with the informational bits, with more detail about each of the individual stories contained within.
I'd especially have liked to see Cunningham discuss how it felt to work in a facility while struggling with his own mental health. Was he diagnosed before? Or did interacting with the patients give him insights into his own conditions?
The art really is beautiful, though.
The art is really lovely, don't get me wrong. As Cunningham says in the last chapter, he's especially great with cityscapes.
Generally, though, this felt very didactic to me. The anecdotes or "stories" of Cunningham's experience generally take up less than half of each chapter, with statements teaching the reader about mental illness filling up the bulk of the book. Which would probably be helpful to a lot of people who haven't been exposed to many mental illness issues. But to me, it sometimes came off as a zine version of a "be sensitive to people who struggle with this" tract.
Maybe it's a geography thing. Maybe England is more supressed about these things than amerika. Personally, though I'm by no means an expert, I'm fascinated by the many ways our brains can be wired and have therefore sought out books, movies, and other media on this topic. I also have friends who are open about their struggles. So I feel like there was very little new information for me.
I appreciate the effort in this, the struggles Cunningham went through as he worked his way through it. I found his personal story (the last chapter) to be the most compelling part, and I wish that the book had had more of an overarching narrative, perhaps integrating his story with the informational bits, with more detail about each of the individual stories contained within.
I'd especially have liked to see Cunningham discuss how it felt to work in a facility while struggling with his own mental health. Was he diagnosed before? Or did interacting with the patients give him insights into his own conditions?
The art really is beautiful, though.
nglofile's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 stars. What a fascinating premise! A former psychiatric nursing assistant shares glimpses of life on the ward in an effort to address stigma and increase both understanding and compassion. Each story focuses on a specific medical condition (e.g., dementia or schizophrenia), and this work could easily serve as sensitive primer for any adult or teen who is open to learn but understandably wary. Elements of memoir are introduced, not only as the POV character but also in direct address of personal struggles. As a whole, it is effective both in educating and in eliciting empathy.
The stark contrast of black-and-white block illustrations convey much about the story, as do the carefully chosen 'close-ups' or 'zoom-outs' of scale. The caricatured individuals are at once humanized and distorted, and this is a smart choice for this kind of narrative. The subject matter is difficult on its own; a cartoon style maintains a bit of accessible distance for the reader. The moments when a more representative portrait is introduced are underscored by contrast, all to the credit of the author/artist.
The stark contrast of black-and-white block illustrations convey much about the story, as do the carefully chosen 'close-ups' or 'zoom-outs' of scale. The caricatured individuals are at once humanized and distorted, and this is a smart choice for this kind of narrative. The subject matter is difficult on its own; a cartoon style maintains a bit of accessible distance for the reader. The moments when a more representative portrait is introduced are underscored by contrast, all to the credit of the author/artist.
600bars's review against another edition
2.0
These are short zinelike comics about the author’s time working in psych hospitals as an assistant and then eventually as a nurse. They are divided by different mental illnesses so one chapter will be about a patient with bipolar, schizophrenia, cutting, etc. I liked the simple black and white drawings which were reminiscent of Persepolis’s style, and I thought their simplicity reflected the clinical nature of the stories. But I was more interested when he told specific anecdotes about patients. I know there's probably whatever the NHS equivalent of HIPAA to protect patient privacy but they are heavily anonymized. Instead, the specific anecdotes are like 3 panels while the rest of the chapter is spent explaining what a condition is in very simple terms. Which is information that most people know. It might be good for a poster or something but as a book it feels like it spends too much time on things you already know (clinical definitions) and less on the interesting stuff which is the human side of it. I did like the last chapter where we get a bit more of Cunningham's personal journey with mental illness and depression and how it led him to working in these places and eventually into a comic career. We love to care about a person’s individual journey, you can read wikipedia any day of the week! The other issue with the very clinical definitions and explanations is that it’s very much on the “depression is a chemical imbalance and a real disease” model of mental illness. I’ve always felt that pushing the chemical imbalance explanation, while well meaning, has been the same thing as the LGBT community pushing “born this way”. The intent is logical– a marginalized group wants a quick explanation to outsiders in hopes of receiving more acceptance and better treatment, but once it becomes entrenched as an explanation the limitations of that definition become apparent. Of course I’m not asking this guy to write a treatise on social causes of mental illness and the different hypotheses for each condition’s causes and manifestations and potential cures. But it’s just clear to see that he accepts that definition and accepts the psych ward treatment as the best option, and I think just because I’ve seen loved ones have their own ring around the rosie in this department I have some skepticism and thought someone on the inside might also question it. It comes off as an oversimplification of the cause (chemical imbalance) and the cure (take pills and go to hospital), when there are probably as many different manifestations of mental illness as there are mentally ill people. It reads like a pamphlet you might find in the waiting room of some sort of mental health facility!