This Artist Tries To Draw Mental Illnesses According To How They Feel

By
Dan J
-

You might have heard about Sillvi, an artist who gained his popularity by transforming delicious foods and drinks into characters. This time, the Korean-born Canadian chose a more serious topic; he illustrated mental illnesses and how they feel.

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Click the link in bio if you are interested in donating to my fundraiser with a non-profit organization NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) directly. …….. “If Mental Illnesses were Creatures” No. 4 Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) Follow me to see future updates. Which Creature would you like to see in the future? Let me know in the comments. I see a lot of request for ADHD. What is your experience with ADHD? If you would like, share your personal symptoms. Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a psychiatric disorder that can occur in people who have experienced or witnessed a traumatic event such as a natural disaster, a serious accident, a terrorist act, war/combat, rape or other violent personal assault. PTSD has been known by many names in the past, such as “shell shock” during the years of World War I and “combat fatigue” after World War II. But PTSD does not just happen to combat veterans. PTSD can occur in all people, in people of any ethnicity, nationality or culture, and any age. PTSD affects approximately 3.5 percent of U.S. adults, and an estimated one in 11 people will be diagnosed PTSD in their lifetime. Women are twice as likely as men to have PTSD. People with PTSD have intense, disturbing thoughts and feelings related to their experience that last long after the traumatic event has ended. They may relive the event through flashbacks or nightmares; they may feel sadness, fear or anger; and they may feel detached or estranged from other people. People with PTSD may avoid situations or people that remind them of the traumatic event, and they may have strong negative reactions to something as ordinary as a loud noise or an accidental touch. (DSM-5)

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He says that many artists have touched on this subject and imagined mental illnesses as monsters, however, he still wanted to display them in his own way.

“What motivated me to do my own version was because these depictions seemed to either romanticize or demonize the illnesses,” the artist shared with Bored Panda. “Majority of them focused on manifesting some sort of monster that causes pain to their victims. I didn’t want to draw monsters. I wanted to draw how they feel, and that was the initial motivation.”

For those who are unfamiliar with these disorders, the artist made sure to include excerpts from credible sources on each image.

If you are curious to see his illustrations, check out the gallery below. Can you relate?

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“If Mental Disorders were Creatures” No. 10 Antisocial Personality Disorder Follow me to see future updates. Click the link in bio if you are interested in donating to my fundraiser with a non-profit organization NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) directly. I am ending the series with this piece. This isn’t because I don’t think that the disorders I haven’t illustrated deserve awareness. It’s because I don’t want to illustrate something that I lack understanding of. I do not wish to misrepresent the disorders (Not that my representations have been perfect). The fundraiser will continue and I will continue to donate 15% of my income from this series until the goal is reached. I will keep you updated in my story. I am planning to focus on creating webtoons from now on. I want to create something more than just illustrations and tell a story. I hope you are excited. Antisocial personality disorder: a pattern of disregarding or violating the rights of others. A person with antisocial personality disorder may not conform to social norms, may repeatedly lie or deceive others, or may act impulsively. – American Psychiatric Association Antisocial personality disorder, sometimes called sociopathy, is a mental condition in which a person consistently shows no regard for right and wrong and ignores the rights and feelings of others. People with antisocial personality disorder tend to antagonize, manipulate or treat others harshly or with callous indifference. They show no guilt or remorse for their behavior. Individuals with antisocial personality disorder often violate the law, becoming criminals. They may lie, behave violently or impulsively, and have problems with drug and alcohol use. Because of these characteristics, people with this disorder typically can't fulfill responsibilities related to family, work or school. – Mayo Clinic #sillvi #sillvi_illustrations

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“If Mental Illnesses were Creatures” No. 8 Autism Spectrum Disorder Follow me to see future updates. Click the link in bio if you are interested in donating to my fundraiser with a non-profit organization NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) directly. Which illness would you like to see in the future? Let me know in the comments. If you’d like, sharing your experience helps. Sillvi’s Note: Lack of awareness for adults with autism is very disappointing. Those who are diagnosed with level one autism (high-functioning autism) are often overlooked as they may appear completely “normal” and may not get the help they need. Autism spectrum disorder is a condition related to brain development that impacts how a person perceives and socializes with others, causing problems in social interaction and communication. The disorder also includes limited and repetitive patterns of behavior. The term "spectrum" in autism spectrum disorder refers to the wide range of symptoms and severity. Autism spectrum disorder includes conditions that were previously considered separate — autism, Asperger's syndrome, childhood disintegrative disorder and an unspecified form of pervasive developmental disorder. Some people still use the term "Asperger's syndrome," which is generally thought to be at the mild end of autism spectrum disorder. Autism spectrum disorder begins in early childhood and eventually causes problems functioning in society — socially, in school and at work, for example. Often children show symptoms of autism within the first year. A small number of children appear to develop normally in the first year, and then go through a period of regression between 18 and 24 months of age when they develop autism symptoms. While there is no cure for autism spectrum disorder, intensive, early treatment can make a big difference in the lives of many children. (Mayo Clinic)

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“If Mental Illnesses were Creatures” No. 7 Anorexia Nervosa Follow me to see future updates. Click the link in bio if you are interested in donating to my fundraiser with a non-profit organization NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) directly. Which illness would you like to see in the future? Let me know in the comments. If you’d like, sharing your experience helps. Anorexia (an-o-REK-see-uh) nervosa — often simply called anorexia — is an eating disorder characterized by an abnormally low body weight, an intense fear of gaining weight and a distorted perception of weight. People with anorexia place a high value on controlling their weight and shape, using extreme efforts that tend to significantly interfere with their lives. To prevent weight gain or to continue losing weight, people with anorexia usually severely restrict the amount of food they eat. They may control calorie intake by vomiting after eating or by misusing laxatives, diet aids, diuretics or enemas. They may also try to lose weight by exercising excessively. No matter how much weight is lost, the person continues to fear weight gain. Anorexia isn't really about food. It's an extremely unhealthy and sometimes life-threatening way to try to cope with emotional problems. When you have anorexia, you often equate thinness with self-worth. Anorexia, like other eating disorders, can take over your life and can be very difficult to overcome. But with treatment, you can gain a better sense of who you are, return to healthier eating habits and reverse some of anorexia's serious complications. (Mayo Clinic)

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Click the link in bio if you are interested in donating to my fundraiser with a non-profit organization NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) directly. . “If Mental Illnesses were Creatures” No. 3 Anxiety/Panic Disorder. Follow me to see future updates. Which Creature would you like to see in the future? Let me know in the comments. If you would like, share your personal symptoms. It helps me to not misrepresent the illness. Quite often, the term “anxiety attack” and “panic attack” are used interchangeably, but they are not the same condition. Anxiety disorders include disorders that share features of excessive fear and anxiety and related behavioral disturbances. Fear is the emotional response to real or perceived imminent threat, whereas anxiety is anticipation of future threat. Obviously, these two states overlap, but they also differ, with fear more often associated with surges of autonomic arousal necessary for fight or flight, thoughts of immediate danger, and escape behaviors, and anxiety more often associated with muscle tension and vigilance in preparation for future danger and cautious or avoidant behaviors. Sometimes the level of fear or anxiety is reduced by pervasive avoidance behaviors. Panic attacks feature prominently within the anxiety disorders as a particular type of fear response. Panic attacks are not limited to anxiety disorders but rather can be seen in other mental disorders as well. (DSM-5)

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“If Mental Illnesses were Creatures” No. 1 Depression. Which Creature would you like to see next? I’ve started a fundraiser for a non profit organization NAMI (National Alliance in Mental Illness). If you would like to donate, link is in my bio. As much as I am hesitant to promote my merch in this series, I have bills to pay. If you would like to support my art, please check out my shirts. Link in bio. Depression is a mood disorder that causes a persistent feeling of sadness and loss of interest. Also called major depressive disorder or clinical depression, it affects how you feel, think and behave and can lead to a variety of emotional and physical problems. You may have trouble doing normal day-to-day activities, and sometimes you may feel as if life isn't worth living. -Mayo Clinic

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