When it comes to describing the feelings of hopelessness of depression, the fear and anxiety of having an operation or the unrelenting pain of a chronic condition, sometimes words are not enough. But, as some patients have discovered, art can be a powerful medium for portraying and translating these complex emotional experiences. Cartoons can also help future medical professionals empathize with patients and consider their experience from more than a clinical perspective.
An article published last week on the anthropology blog Teaching Culture explores the use of graphic art in medical anthropology courses. It takes its inspiration from Allie Brosh's comic Hyperbole and a Half, in which she uses a crudely drawn figure to transport readers through the painful inertia and numbness of her depression. I stumbled upon this comic a few years ago when a dear friend was depressed. At the time, I didn't understand how that could be or what that meant. Brosh's bizarre, raw, and yes funny, comic resonated not only with what I saw my friend going through, but with my own experience, even though I was not depressed. It enabled me to empathize and to offer her support that was more relevant.
The article also describes a curriculum that incorporates “graphic pathographies” - graphic novels and comics about experiencing illness - into a course for pre-med students. The coursework "examines the multifaceted relations between biomedicine, culture, and the art of care, and places a special emphasis on how creative and humanistic approaches to illness and healing might enrich clinical practice."
When I asked for his thoughts, Errol Ozdalga, MD, a professor of general medicine involved with the bedside medicine Stanford 25 initiative, commented:
Graphic art is an expression that is probably under-utilized. At Stanford, our guest services offers patients the chance to do guided imagery by expressing their feelings via drawing. Many physicians are unaware this service exists. It's an opportunity to better understand our patients' perspectives and promote the importance of connecting to patients among our students.
Previously: Engaging with art to improve clinical skills, Image of the week: a medical-focused manga comic and Stanford nurse's whiteboard artistry brings cheer to patients, co-workers
Photo by Krystal T
