Book Review

Comics and women’s mental health: Five stories.

Abstract

Comics and women’s mental health: Five stories (2025) makes an original and valuable contribution to the fields of graphic medicine and the health humanities. Through close analysis of the formal qualities of five comics, Viljoen examines how phenomenological experiences of mental health are communicated visually, enabling empathy and understanding to emerge. The book demonstrates the significance of graphic medicine in fostering a deeper understanding of women’s lived mental health experiences through embodied and affective engagement between comic creators and readers/viewers.