A comic book by a group of young people about their struggles with mental health
meet the artists... ziggy
jamie
Sam
josh
scout
EM
code
lewis
farrah
jasmine
alfie
jayde
We’ve made this booklet, with the help of Fixers, to share our experience of mental health problmes in the hope that other young people will feel less alone and will find the strength to get help.
Rachel Portrait illustrations by: Scout Cover illustrations by: Scout
There are lots of different mental health issues.
Mental Health issues are never
common in the UK.
one in four people will experience
Anxiety and Depression are most Other issues include bipolar disorder, personality disorders, obsessive
compulsive disorders (OCD) and schizophrenia. Another type of disorder is eating disorders, like anorexia and bulimia.
These can be caused by other mental illnesses
or not. Also self-harm is linked to mental issues.
talked about enough, even though
mental health problems in a year and 10% of children have mental
health problems at any one time.
Mental illnesses sound scary but should be accepted like physical illness.
They can be equally serious. This means you should talk to a doctor about
mental health problems you many have.
information on this page is sourced from the following: www.mentalhealth.org.uk and www.mind.org.uk illustrations by: Jasmine
my friend has a monster in their hat by farrah
i have a friend . . . but my friend has a problem – there’s a monster living in their hat.
they don’t know how it got there, but it wasn’t anyone’s fault. and as the monster wakes, it grows and grows
and males my friends more and more scared.
sometimes, in certain situations and sometimes for no reason
the little monster wakes up. my friend doesn’t know if the monster is going to eat them one day.
but most of all, they don’t want it to hurt someone they love.
but want i want them to know, is they should tell people about the monster in their hat.
they want you to be okay. besides, you never know what they might be hiding too.
you just need to breathe slowly, stay healthy, and try to get out the house a bit.
because together . . .
. . . we can set our monsters free.
it will be okay, if you keep yourself safe
A day in the life of someone with Anxiety
Even simple things like eating can be hard too‌
Sometimes even waking up can be hard‌
...and my chest feels tight.
Because anxiety can make my head spin...
my tummy turn...
Anxiety can make me want to hide away, feeling alone in the world..
It can be dark‌
...and scary
But sometimes people come and chase away the fear.
illustrations by: jasmine
SELF HARM OR SUICIDE SO DEPRESSION IS A SERIOUS ISSUE DEPRESSION IS CONNECTED TO MANIC DEPRESSION (BIPOLAR)
THIS IS ANOTHER SERIOUS MENTAL HEALTH PROBLEM, WITH SIMILAR CAUSES, SYMPTONS AND RESULTS WITH BIPOLAR, PEOPLE EXPERIENCE EXTREME HIGHS AND LOWS
ADULTS EXPERIENCE DEPRESSION AT SOME POINT information on this page is sourced from the following: www.mentalhealth.org.uk and www.mind.org.uk
I used to like playing video games but now it makes me feel really sad.
On weekdays I would do to the park with my friends, but not anymore.
Sometimes I don’t want to leave my room so I end up sleeping through the day.
I found out recently that I’ve been eating a lot more than I used to…a lot more.
I found that I would have lots of negative thoughts about myself.
My activity levels have dropped and I can’t bear to do anything.
My family were worried and contacted my doctor…So now I have an appointment.
My doctor sent me to a counsellor so I can better talk about my situation.
How I dealt with Bereavement. By Jayde
Getting a phone call saying that a close friend or family member has passed away can be extremely hard…
But I discovered I’m not alone. I’m not the only one going through a loss.
Like me it could make you feel like your heart is breaking…
…or make you feel completely alone, with no one to turn to.
Even though their life is over, you are able to remember them through the beautiful things in life.
Life with an eating disorder. . . illustrations by:
Rachel
Firstly you need to know an eating disorder is NOT a body type.
‘My eating habits are healthy’
This means you should not make assumptions because of someone’s size.
‘She looks anorexic’
‘I’m suffering from Bulimia’
‘He’s too FAT to have an eating disorder’
Here are some signs you can spot. One or more of these might indicate an eating disorder but it may mean something else:
Things people say: ‘A piece of whole meal bread has 111 calories’
‘I’m tired and I’m going to bed’
‘I don’t want to eat out’
‘Everything is stressful and I have no control’
Things people do:
Spotting these signs can help stop someone suffering from serious injury or even death.
Hiding food
Major Weight loss
Eating in secret
Any of these signs are worrying and need to be addressed as they could be linked to an eating disorder. information on this page is sourced from www.mentalhealth.org.uk and www.mind.org.uk
Bullying can happen to anyone. . . . . .it comes in many forms.
excluding someone
Name calling
Sending horrible messages over social media or texts
illustrations by: jasmine
It can also be physical. Bullying can stem from. . . Homophobia Because of someone’s sexual orientation.
Racism
Because of someone’s skin colour.
Sizeism
using fat or skinny as an insult.
Sexism
called weak because you’re a girl or limiting opportunities because of gender.
Bullying can cause lots of problems like. . . further Bullying
Depression Mental Health Issues self Harm suicide
not wanting to go to school and many more.
If you or a friend are being bullied. . . I would recommend…
Tell someone…
A guardian, a teacher, a parent, a friend, a youth worker.
Bullying can be stopped. *information on this page is sourced from www.mind.org.uk
By Josh
By Jasmin
I self harmed It started in year 9
It started because of depression . . .
the Stress of school work . . .
and bullying
It became addictive because of the relief it gave me
Soon I was doing it regularly
even at school.
The scars became hard to hide from my friends and family it caused me even more anxiety trying to hide it.
One day my friend noticed and she made me talk about it.
It was hard to stop But after the scares began to fade the urge to do it lessened.
I could wear what I like.
It helped to know that the short lived relief wasn’t worth the time I spent worrying and hiding.
Talking helped and she took away what I used to self harm with. What should you do?
It helped me to talk to
someone. It might help you too. Don’t hide it. . . seek help:)
I liked looking and acting as a girl and a boy.
It started in year 8.
But people kept asking questions I couldn’t answer, I felt like two separate people. I was confused and scared. I felt like I was both, or meant to be at least. I did not think that was possible.
I became a recluse for almost a year… because of this issue and others.
I took time and looked up what it meant, what it was. . . . . .This is what I felt.
I took time and discovered myself
Now I know who I am. By Ziggy
I saw my friend post something online about ‘Gender Fluid’ when a person identifies as male and female.
I found my answer!
By Alfie
Insomnia
By jamie
What happens when . . .
. . . I wake up during the night? Lose hours of sleep
. . . I don’t sleep? Grogginess Grumpy Lack of energy
eyes sting
. . . I wake up early in the morning?
nauseous
. . . I have difficulty falling a sleep? Cramps
Grogginess angry (sometimes)
What could be the
cause of my Insomnia?
unable to rest Headaches
What could it lead to?*
Stress
Depression
Anxiety
Schizophrenia asthma
What have I found helps me to sleep?
Treatment can be found with the help of your GP.
Avoid caffeine later in the day Avoid big meals at night Set times to wake up Try blind your other senses
*information on this page is sourced from www.mentalhealth.org.uk and www.mind.org.uk
By Scout
...try the ‘Five Ways’* - Five things these young people try to build into their daily lives to improve their wellbeing, protect their mental health and increase emotional resilience...They might help you too.
illustrations by: farrah *http://www.neweconomics.org/publications/entry/five-ways-to-well-being-the-evidence
These are the experiences of a young people, and should not be relied on or substitute for formal medical advice. For help or information on any of the topics touched in this comic book please look at the following websites:
www.nhs.uk
www.mind.org.uk www.sane.org.uk
Fixers is a campaign that helps young people ‘use their past to fix the future’ and is part-funded by the National Lottery through the Big Lottery Fund.’ These are the experience of young people, and should not be relied on or substitute for formal medical advice.