This Beautiful Book Makes It Easier To Talk About Mental Illness

Talking about mental illness can be difficult, embarrassing, even scary; there's a stigma surrounding these disorders that, unfortunately, means many people continue to suffer in silence. But, with the help of a beautifully illustrated new book, the conversation could become a little easier for all of us. Called The Little Book Of Disorders, the recently-launched crowdfunding project takes cues from the classic Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM). But, it then describes eight common disorders in everyday (non-scientific) language. And, it follows up with inspirational sayings and tips for talking about the conditions with other people. "I created this book because I didn't see anything out there that explains what these disorders are or how to talk about them in ways that are easy to understand," says the book's creator, Kim Caicedo, in the Kickstarter video. "So, I used illustration, typography, and dinosaurs to explain them." We'd like to thank Caicedo, her wonderful illustrations, and those giant lizards for helping us break down conversational barriers.