Pathologize This - a zine about mental health
44 pages, digest
$ ??
Although this definitely is a zine entirely about mental health, it could also be considered a feminist zine . The contributors and producers (I'm pretty sure) are all women, and while every piece is dissimilar from every other in style and content, there are consistent themes of struggling for identity and empowerment in a hostile world, especially the patriarchal and exploitive medical establishment. There is a consistent theme of rebellion against despair and the forces that would do one in, both from without and within.
Nothing in here is what I'd call exceptional journalism. But when approached as a collage there is cohesion where similarities compliment and differences contrast, and something both abstract and tangible is achieved.
Some pieces are narratives, some are descriptions, some are simply lists, and some lean more toward literature and poetry. Topics include anxiety, depression, eating disorders, and sexual assault. It is not pretty nor happy, but it is hopeful, and it is about taking action and surviving and getting better.
By including many diverce pieces, it also addresses the point that mental health and mental illness are extremely complex, and no two peoples' expierences are the same. There is a vital need for many voices to come forward in this area.
I hope to see more of these.
This was produced in Montreal several years ago. There is a list of distros that carry Sarah Tea- Rex's zines on her wordpress page:
https://sarahtearex.wordpress.com/links/
It can be viewed online for free at
http://archive.qzap.org/index.php/Detail/Object/Show/object_id/364
Review by Jack Cheiky
No comments:
Post a Comment