Psychiatric Tales - by Darryl Cunningham (Hardcover)

About the Book

Book Synopsis

In these moving and sometimes darkly comic tales, Darryl Cunningham takes us into the minds and experiences of people with mental illness-people who might very well be ourselves. Psychiatric Tales draws on Darryl Cunningham's time working in a psychiatric ward to give a reasoned and sympathetic look into the world of mental illness. In each chapter, Cunningham explores a different mental health problem, using evocative imagery to describe the experience of mental illness, both from the point of view of those beset by illness and their friends and relatives. As Cunningham reveals this human experience, he also shows how society's perceptions of and reactions to mental illness perpetuate needless stigma, for example, the myth that schizophrenic people are more likely to commit crimes than non-schizophrenic people. Psychiatric Tales is a groundbreaking graphic work; it deftly demythologizes and destigmatizes the disorders that 26.2 percent of American adults live with every day.

Concluding with a reflection on how mental illness has affected his own life, Darryl Cunningham's Psychiatric Tales is a moving, engaging examination of what is, at its root, the human condition.

Darryl Cunningham is the creator of the Web comics Super-Sam and John-of-the-Night and The Streets of San Diablo. He is a prolific cartoonist, sculptor, and photographer, and lives in Leeds, England. This is his first book.

Review Quotes

"Strikingly illustrates (and demystifies) disorders such as schizophrenia, dementia, and bipolarism." --Elle Magazine

"Straight-forward, engaging, and possessed with both great clarity and a world of sympathy for its subject matter." --The Comics Reporter

"Heartfelt...With Psychiatric Tales, Cunningham has crafted his own effective way to help both himself and other sufferers of mental illness." --NPR.org

"Psychiatric Tales does a great job explaining this, and it would likely serve as an excellent tool for anyone who is coping with mental illness in their own family." --GraphicNovelReporter.com

"An illustrated primer on mental illness that builds to personal revelation ... The illustrations are compelling throughout." --Kirkus Reviews

About the Author

Darryl Cunningham is the creator of the web comics "Super-Sam and John-of-the-Night" and "The Streets of San Diablo." A prolific cartoonist, sculptor and photographer, he lives in Leeds, England. This is his first book.