Cartoon: the black dog also works 9-5

Posted by Guy Downes on May 4, 2011 under Illustration | Read the First Comment

Matthew Johnstone is a master storyteller. He speaks from the heart about what ’he’s experienced, learnt and what has worked for him in dealing with depression over the last 20 years’. I was lucky enough to hear him speak at a recent Tamworth Chamber of Commerce Business Breakfast about dealing with depression, forms and telltale signs of depression, the increase in pressure in today’s society and his current role with The Black Dog Institute. He is also the author of the wellknown book ‘I had a Black dog’ and ‘Living with a Black Dog’, which he beautifully illustrated.

During his talk, which used his great drawings to illustrate his points, one area he covered really made me stop, listen and think. Depression and mood disorders interfere not only with our ability to function at home, in social settings but also at work. It struck me that depression ‘can also work 9am – 5pm’ – it doesn’t go away when you ‘swipe’ into your building. Matthew shared his thoughts on the critical role HR (as ‘safe havens’), leaders and colleagues can play in helping people who may be experiencing depression.

My cartoon builds on this idea. From my experience of working in fast-paced, results-oriented environments, it could be all too easy not to see or realise that a colleague, a friend or the boss (or even myself) needs help. Regardless whether a company has a mantra to be ‘a fun, engaging and great place to work’, they can still be a very lonely place. If there isn’t the foundation or opportunity for people to seek help or the ethos that talking about issues is ‘OK’, my personal belief is that employees can feel isolated. In the daily hustle and bustle and ‘fog’ of doing business, a cry of “Help Me” could easily go unnoticed.

The Black Dog Institute is a not-for-profit, educational, research, clinical and community-oriented facility offering specialist expertise in depression and bipolar disorder. For more information and to check out their great resource, visit their website.

During Matthew’s talk, I furiously took visual notes, sketching out key words and themes he covered. Here’s a page that shows some of my sketches and scribbles.