• ‘Graphic Medicine’ as a Mental Health Information Resource: Insights from Comics Producers

    Author(s):
    A Farthing, Ernesto Priego (see profile)
    Date:
    2016
    Subject(s):
    Comic books, strips, etc., Graphic novels, Health--Social aspects, Diseases--Social aspects
    Item Type:
    Article
    Tag(s):
    graphic medicine, Higher education, interviews, mental health, social care, Comics, Sociology of health and illness
    Permanent URL:
    http://dx.doi.org/10.17613/M6KS6M
    Abstract:
    Recent literature suggests that a growing number of comics are being published on health-related topics, including aspects of mental health and social care (Williams 2012; Czerwiec et al 2015) and that comics are increasingly being used in higher education settings as information resources. This article offers insights from comics creators and disseminators and explores the wider context of comics production and distribution (with a focus on 'Graphic Medicine' or health-related comics) as part of a larger examination of the interface between these documents and potential academic audiences. Original data was gathered through semi-structured interviews with 15 participants actively involved in comics creation and production. Elements of domain analysis (Hjørland 2002) were used to obtain insights into attitudes to the creation, dissemination and use of mental health-related comics. Though potentially useful comics material is being produced in the mental health domain, significant challenges remain for producers in enabling their work to be accessed within higher education settings. This paper suggests that comics producers need to make a concerted effort to reach academia, and academia - including information professionals - need to embrace new types of material to enhance teaching.
    Metadata:
    Published as:
    Journal article    
    Status:
    Published
    Last Updated:
    7 years ago
    License:
    Attribution
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