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Transcript/Script((PLAYBOOK SLUG: US MENTAL HEALTH AND COMICS
HEADLINE: Comics Helping Overcome Anxieties, Trauma
TEASER: Encouraging children and adults to share their feelings
PUBLISHED AT: 08/xx/2023
BYLINE: Genia Dulot
CONTRIBUTOR:
DATELINE: San Diego, California
VIDEOGRAPHER: Genia Dulot
VIDEO EDITOR:
ASSIGNING EDITOR: Stearns
SCRIPT EDITORS: Stearns, MAS
VIDEO SOURCE (S): VOA
PLATFORMS (mark with X): WEB __ TV _X_ RADIO _X_
TRT: 2:44
VID APPROVED BY: MAS
TYPE: TVPKG
EDITOR NOTES: ))
((INTRO))
[[Comic books can be a great way to help people work through emotional trauma. For VOA, Genia Dulot reports on comics that encourage children and adults to share their feelings and address issues of mental health.]]
((NARRATOR))
Comic book writer Chag Lowry is the author of “Soldiers Unknown,” the story of three members of his Native American Yurok Tribe who fought in World War I.
((Chag Lowry, Comic Book Author))
“In a lot of stories about veterans, we don’t really talk about or see their struggle when they come home. I show the challenge of one of them. A lot of veterans unfortunately they drink, they take drugs, because of the PTSD and the pain and the agony.”
((NARRATOR))
Lowry’s comic shows Indigenous culture and ceremonies helping heal some of the horrors of war. He says that is especially important for Native American readers dealing with emotional trauma in the context of colonialism and oppression.
((Chag Lowry, Comic Book Author))
“They have to have a safe space first, imagery that represents them, and stories that represent them, so they can share that first, and then you can delve into the painful history or the painful or sorrowful experience.
((NARRATOR))
School phycologist Lorran Garrison developed several comic books to help children express their feelings.
((Lorran Garrison, School Phycologist))
“This one is about anxiety, ‘First Day of School Jitters.’ My husband and I drew this book together, and it’s helping kids prepare for the first day of school. So having parents involved, having parents engaged in reading this book might help a student or their child if they are a little bit nervous on the first day of school.
((NARRATOR))
She also shows a stress-relief coloring book and journal, where children can express their emotions through coloring a bulldog. In her work, Garrison says she has found that if she relates to children through their favorite comic book character, it can help with their anxiety.
((Lorran Garrison, School Phycologist))
“The kids I really work with are special education in that area, so that really gives a lot of hope because a lot of these comic book characters come from, like Spider-Man, poor backgrounds, orphans. Batman was an orphan, so it’s easier for me to talk to children that way, so they can relate or feel something when they read these comics.”
((NARRATOR))
Garrison says comic books can also make a difference when it comes to suicidal thoughts among schoolchildren by helping them feel they are not alone and allowing them to express what they are feeling and ask for help.
((Genia Dulot, for VOA News, San Diego))
NewsML Media TopicsArts, Culture, Entertainment and Media
