Hidden Lives
Hidden Lives? What’s the cartoon pull-out all about?
The cartoon was commissioned to accompany the autumn/winter edition of Well? magazine, published to support Scottish Mental Health Week 2006. It features the ‘hidden lives’ of four fictional cartoon characters - their everyday lives, their relationships and their mental health.
View the full cartoon
Download: hidden-lives-cartoon.pdf
The cartoon is based on a recent presentation at a mental health improvement showcase earlier this year by Professor Phil Hanlon. Professor Hanlon highlighted consumerism as one of the many cultural influences in Scotland, which can have a complex – but often destructive – effect on people’s mental health and wellbeing.
The cartoon does not aim to be a direct representation of the project findings, but instead represents some of the parallel patterns of ‘complex consumption’ found in the exploratory work, and how this interacts with mental health in everyday life.
Professor Hanlon identifies three different Scotland’s: affluent Scotland, insecure Scotland and excluded Scotland.
Using the transcript of Professor Hanlon’s speech and with support from the mental health improvement team, Terry Anderson from the Scottish Cartoon Art Studio designed ‘Hidden Lives’. The cartoon was chosen as a innovative way of getting people to think about their own mental health and wellbeing.
"Cartoon is an extremely immediate and direct way of communicating often complex scenarios using both visuals and prose, where the reader can linger over the story if they wish," says Terry. "One of the main objectives of ‘Hidden Lives’ was for the reader to be able to relate to the characters and recognise themselves, or people they know.
This is how Professor Hanlon relates his three perceptions of Scotland to the lives of the cartoon characters:
Affluent Scotland:
This is represented by the character of Andrew, the father who knows he should spend more quality time with his children, but instead has slipped into a destructive cycle of work, office, alcohol. People in this type of relationship with consumerism can sometime purchase goods to prove to themselves that they are not simply in a destructive cycle. If he is willing to spend the money on the holiday, surely that must prove he is not as cut off from his family as he fears he really is. Yet, the reality is that he is using consumerism in a desperate attempt to prove something to himself and not to change something that could really help his wellbeing – his relationship with those who love him.
Insecure Scotland:
In ‘insecure Scotland’ money is tight and a constant worry. Yet, the influence of consumerism is so powerful that people buy things, not because they really want them, but because they have a desire to project the right image – not always for themselves but certainly for their children. So they spend more than they can afford on designer gear and symbolic goods. This concept is represented by the character of Margaret, whose is continually buying expensive gear for her son believing he ‘deserves the best’. Of course, all she gets is into more and more debt leading to stress and anxiety, while her son expects more and more.
Excluded Scotland:
Jade and her son, Darren, represent excluded Scotland. Darren is teased because he is overweight and doesn’t take enough exercise. Having had a difficult time with social workers and other support agencies, Jade demonstrates ‘defiant consumption’. Her desire to do the right thing and make sure that Darren has a healthy diet and takes exercise is completely overshadowed by her defiance of authority and her reluctance to accept good advice. Despite these challenges their story represents 3 generations of a close-knit, supportive family.
What do you think of Jade, Darren, Andrew and Margaret? Are they realistic representations of how consumerism and mental health interact in Scottish life? Write and let us know at wellscotland@scotland.gsi.gov.uk
Background and working papers from the Cultural Influences Project can be seen in the consultation and debates section. The project is due to be completed in 2008.
