My Lesbian Experience With Loneliness by Kabi Nagata

She shows you the feeling of reaching rock bottom. As someone who’s had mysterious symptoms without an appropriate explanation from doctors for years, I related to her searching for reasons as to why her body was acting the way it was, only for a doctor to shrug and tell her to rest more. Nagata masterfully shares experiences of her body that won’t always obey her demands… the feeling of a lack of control and of mysterious symptoms. The author explains why cutting helped her with inner, untold pain, which could trigger some readers. This is where her binge and restricted eating disorder behavior stems from, as well as self-harm of cutting and trichotillomania.

Nagata grapples with a deeply felt sense of no self-worth. Her depictions of self-harm and suicidal thoughts might be triggering for some readers. That rate is 1.5 to 2.5 times higher than that of their straight or gender-conforming counterparts.” LGBTQIA+ people are more prone to depression due to living in a world that does not accept or respect their identities. Reading this book, you get a painfully vulnerable glimpse into Nagata’s transition from high school into college, becoming a drop-out, trying to find family and community at a part-time grocery gig only to fail miserably, and eventually rising into a manga career. According to Anxiety & Depression Association of America, “Somewhere between 30 and 60 percent of lesbians, gay men, bisexuals, or transgender people deal with anxiety and depression at some point in their lives. Welcome to the feeling of helplessness and hopelessness of a 28-year-old who’s never had sex, never had a career, and is in the deep nasty pits of depression. This book is recommended for teens older than 16. The imagery draws you in and make you connect with the cute depiction she’s made of her likeness, as well as her experience. Kabi Nagata creates a beautiful world of simple, soft drawings with beautiful shades of pinks, white, and black.

National Library of Medicine Graphic Medicine ExhibitĬontent Warning: Depression, sex, self-hatred, eating disorders, self-harm, trichotillomania, sex work (escort service), suicidal thoughts, mental health.

Essential Graphic Medicine: An Annotated Bibliography.

A Graphic Medicine Conversation with Sam Hester.

Graphic Medicine International Collective.

My Lesbian Experience With Loneliness by Kabi Nagata