Despite the fact that there is increasingly widespread understanding of the effect that mental illness and mental health issues can have on a person’s life, we as a society still grapple with questions of how to conceptualise and discuss such matters. That only increases tenfold when it comes to children. Should you use super-simplistic terms so that you’re certain they understand exactly what you mean, but risk talking down to them? Should you treat them like adults and give them the space to come to you about it? How do you explain an intangible concept, especially when the same mental health issue can manifest with such broad difference from person to person?
Really, there’s no one good or right answer. Raising awareness about mental health, and supporting people who struggle with their mental health is a conversation that needs to keep happening in as many forms as possible.
The Sad Ghost Club is a movement designed to raise awareness about mental health through “community and comics”. There is an online store that sells a variety of merchandise, from stickers, to pins, to clothing, there’s an Instagram profile with an impressive 554 thousand followers, and now there’s a graphic novel.
The notion of being a member of a ‘sad ghost club’ as a way to identify yourself as someone who might experience issues with mental health in manner that has broadly positive associations, thereby mitigating the stigma which still clings to such things. For one, ‘club’ only has broadly positive connotations, while the idea of a sad ghost is inherently unthreatening. More than that, it gives a concrete visual and conceptual reference for people to understand how mental illness is in some ways like a ghost because you often can’t see it, and it often makes you feel as though you are slightly out of existential synch with other people. But this is brought beautifully to life in The Sad Ghost Club graphic novel, which is the latest addition to the Sad Ghost Club organisation.
Graphic novels are a really underrated format, especially when it comes to dealing with tricky issues such as this. Neil Gaiman has said more than once that graphic novels are unique from other mediums of storytelling because they allow the reader to pause on a panel and its contents for as long as they like. When it comes this kind of subject matter, it’s really important to let readers approach the material at their own pace. A graphic novel invites readers to linger on certain panels for as long as they would like, not necessarily pausing, but reflecting. It’s an important distinction from other media, meaning that while you also have the visuals in order to conceptualise the ideas, you feel comfortable at all points.
For this reason, this book is a great offering for younger readers, especially if you’re uncertain of how to open discussions about these kinds of issues with them. It’s short, it’s accessible, it’s well drawn, and it suggests that even though people might struggle with their mental health, talking about it to the right person is always beneficial.
The Sad Ghost Club is available from Amazon, Book Depository, and other good book retailers, like your local bookstore.
Will you be picking up The Sad Ghost Club? Tell us in the comments below!
Synopsis | Goodreads
Ever felt anxious or alone? Like you don’t belong anywhere? Like you’re almost… invisible? Find your kindred spirits at The Sad Ghost Club.
This is the story of one of those days – a day so bad you can barely get out of bed, when it’s a struggle to leave the house, and when you do, you wish you hadn’t. But even the worst of days can surprise you. When one sad ghost, lost and alone at a crowded party, spies another sad ghost across the room, they decide to leave together. What happens next changes everything. Because that night they start the The Sad Ghost Club – a secret society for the anxious and alone, a club for people who think they don’t belong.
For fans of Heartstopper and Jennifer Niven, and for anyone who’s ever felt invisible. You are not alone. Shhh. Pass it on.
