Social Diagnosis
When I first joined TikTok, it was for fun videos and connecting to people with similar interests. The algorithm is more intuitive than any other social media platform I have used, but when I started getting videos about “Signs you have ADHD” and “ADHD things to relate to,” it threw me off. It wasn’t even just ADHD, it was other health diagnoses that explained a lot of things I was dealing with. For my last article for the Uniter, I decided to look into how people use the platform to self-diagnose or advocate for themselves by relating to the videos online.
I had a lot of fun creating the illustration that went along with my article. I had the chance to learn a few new techniques in Adobe Illustrator, and a few people commented on how striking it was amongst the other articles.
How long is too long
I was hesitant to try group therapy for my anxiety, but I was actually starting to get excited about it until I received an email saying that the group will not happen due to staffing shortages. This led me to question, how long do other groups have to wait because of staffing shortages (or other circumstances.)
The results didn’t shock me, as I knew Manitoba’s mental healthcare is nothing to be proud of, but I was shocked at just how bad it was. As a reporter for the Uniter, I get one feature article to write per term, and this time I wrote about how bad the wait times are for mental health services in Manitoba, and what we need to do about it.
I was excited that I also got the chance to create illustrations to go along with the 1700 word article. I miss drawing so much and this was a real treat for me.
“What’s ultimately important is that we don’t lose sight of mental health being a personal, individual problem. It is also very largely impacted by larger social influences.”
Curtain Up
Ever since it was first created on Instagram I had been following the #curtainup movement. I had a wonderful theatre education, and it hurts me to know that others were mistreated, discriminated against, and other horrible things. To shed light on the topic, and what we as artists need to think about moving forward, I wrote this article for the Uniter and illustrated this piece to go alongside it.