Metaphors of Mental Illness in Graphic Medicine

This book explores how graphic medicine can help people with mental illnesses visualize their internal mindscape and reclaim their voice by challenging stereotypes and prejudices. It uses Lakoff and Johnson's conceptual metaphor theory to demonstrate that mentally ill people are often represented as exaggerated or romanticized, and disparaged as emotionally drained and unreasonable. The study also aims to unsettle the sanity/insanity binary and its related patterns of normal/abnormal, depersonalizing the mentally ill by critically analyzing seven graphic narratives on mental illness.

\n Format: Hardback
\n Length: 140 pages
\n Publication date: 22 October 2021
\n Publisher: Taylor & Francis Ltd
\n

This captivating book delves into the profound realm of graphic medicine, exploring its remarkable ability to empower individuals suffering from mental illness to gain a deeper understanding of their internal mindscape through visual metaphors. By challenging the pervasive stereotypes and prejudiced assumptions surrounding mental illness as a disease of deviance and violence, this study offers a transformative perspective. Through the lens of Lakoff and Johnson's conceptual metaphor theory (CMT), this research endeavors to shed light on the vast spectrum of experiences associated with mental illness, a relatively under-the-orized area within the realm of medical humanities. The primary objective is to expose the pervasive representation of mentally ill individuals as either grotesquely exaggerated or overly romanticized across various media and biomedical discourses. Moreover, this study seeks to challenge the notion that mentally ill people are inherently emotionally drained and unreasonable, portraying them as incapable of active social engagements and as adversaries to the healthy and sane society.

Furthermore, the study aims to dismantle the sanity/insanity binary and its associated patterns of fixed categories of normal/abnormal, which depersonalize the mentally ill by critically analyzing seven graphic narratives on mental illness. These narratives serve as powerful tools for empathy and understanding, offering a unique lens through which to view the complexities of mental health. By exploring the intersections of visual storytelling, metaphorical language, and medical discourse, this book provides a valuable contribution to the field of graphic medicine and advocates for a more inclusive and compassionate approach to mental illness.

\n Weight: 306g\n
Dimension: 143 x 224 x 15 (mm)\n
ISBN-13: 9781032102092\n \n