Psychiatric Bulletin (2001) 25: 327. doi: 10.1192/pb.25.8.327-a
© 2001 The Royal College of Psychiatrists
Psychiatric Bulletin (2001) 25: 327
© 2001 The Royal College of Psychiatrists
The Shrink Rap Press books
Helen Minnis, Specialist Registrar in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
Yorkhill NHS Trust, Glasgow G3 8SJ
The Secret Problem, The School Wobblies and Full of
Beans. By C. Wever. Australia: The Shrink Rap Press. 1999. (Australian)$
15 (pb). ISBNs: 0-646-22063-0, 0-646-22064-0 and 0-9585604-0-4, respectively.
Too Blue: A Book About Depression and The Panic Book. By N.
Phillips. Australia: The Shrink Rap Press. 1999. (Australian)$ 15 (pb). ISBNs:
0-9585604-1-2 and 0-9585604-2-0, respectively.
The Secret Problem, The School Wobblies and Full of
Beans, written and illustrated by a psychiatrist, aim to explain common
mental health problems to children. All three are clear and sympathetic, with
judicious use of wry humour and the kinds of drawings commonly seen in
children's literature. Full of Beans, for example, clarifies better
than a psychiatrist ever could that children with attention-deficit
hyperactivity disorder have strengths as well as problems and that medication
and routine may be a pain, but will help in the end. Both The Secret
Problem — about obsessive—compulsive disorder — and
The School Wobblies — about school refusal — use
characters that allow the child to externalise and ‘talk back’ to
the problem. My co-reviewer, wee Hannah from next door (aged 10), found the
drawings "a bit weird" and the Wobblies rather scary, but thought
the book would help a nervous child get to school. She had some difficulties
with understanding the text and we agreed that having an adult read the book
aloud might help both parents and
children.
,
Too Blue: A Book About Depression is aimed at adults and features
a character called ‘Major Depression’, who can disguise himself as
‘Captain Mania’. Unfortunately, I suspect an adult with an
affective disorder might feel patronised. Cartoons can clarify concepts where
words fail, but the downside is that we tend to see them as rather
light-hearted and superficial. It would take exceptional skill, therefore, to
portray depression using cartoons without trivialising in a way people with
depression might find insulting. Books such a MAUS by Art Speigelman
have shown that cartoons can portray a desolate mood, but True Blue
fails to achieve this.
The Panic Book, however, works well as a resource for both adults
with panic disorders and their families. Panic can be a difficult concept to
explain, yet understanding is almost a cure in itself and this book gives a
crystal clear description in both words and pictures of a complex process.
On the whole, the informal but clear style of the Shrink Rap Press books
will be an excellent resource for sufferers and their families. Pictures speak
louder than words.
