Cartoons of mental illness after COVID-19. A decalogue of good practices for a non-stigmatising visual representation

Abstract

The mental health of the population has deteriorated as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. It has been shown that people with mental illnesses face discrimination and stigma. In this context, communication is an essential tool to make these illnesses more visible and, in particular, cartoons can play an important role. In this paper we analyze 317 cartoons dealing with mental health. We compared the cartoons published before and during the pandemic to see if there were any changes, if stigma was reduced and if journalistic good practice guidelines were applied to the cartoons. The data suggest that more attention has been paid to mental health issues during the pandemic, although many stereotypes and bad practices still dominate the cartoons. Furthermore, graphic humor proves its value as a tool for analyzing current affairs and can also be used to raise awareness of mental health issues.