Trauma, Essays on Art and Mental Health, edited by Sam Mills and Thom Cuell

Trauma is an anthology of thirty-two essays by contemporary writers, sharing with remarkable frankness their experience of mental illness caused by, and sometimes causing trauma.  Some of the writers have experienced physical, sexual and emotional abuse; others have lived with drug and/or alcohol addiction.  Their illnesses have been diagnosed (and sometimes misdiagnosed) as depression; schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, gender dysphoria and insomnia.  All of them are survivors, and art of one kind or another has been intrinsic to their sense of having a future.

The book is not one that can be read in a sustained way.  I’ve read it over successive afternoons, just one or sometimes two essays at a time.  It takes time to reflect on, and absorb the story that the contributors have to tell.  Some stand out more than others: I mentioned ‘We Awful, Awful’ by Ian Boutlon in my review of The Morbids because it had…