Inktober is a relatively new month-long challenge for artists all over the world. It was created by Jake Parker, who came up with the idea to focus on improving skills and developing positive drawing habits. For 31 days of October, everyone who wants to participate creates an ink drawing and posts it online using the #inktober tag. Each year there's a new prompt list to be used for the pictures. Shawn Coss decided to ditch the guidelines and create within a sore theme, posting new mental illness ink depictions every day of the Inktober.
Shawn's mental illness art translates sicknesses of the mind in an eerily accurate way, and his ghoulish illustrations don't end with Inktober. The artist has worked for such clients as the horror king Stephen King himself, creates Cyanide & Happiness cartoons, and even has his own clothing line.
So if you're searching for support with your mental illness or are plainly into horror, check Shawn's art below. It surely gave us the chills!
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Major Depressive Disorder
Me as well..this person captured it so clearly 😞
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When you feel like giving up, anxiety stress and heartache make you so sick to your stomach that your mind is spinning out of control with emotion and thoughts of hopelessness. When it is time to ask for help but you don't even feel worth it. Feeling like an inconvenience and like nobody should even care about you because you don't want them to waste their feelings. Being kicked when your down and struggling to see the light at the other end. Pain is temporary, trying to tell yourself it will work out but in the moment it seems impossible while your mind is flooded with disturbing thoughts. Sick at feeling alone but rather be alone then burden anyone. Consumed with pain. Trying to explain how you feel and what goes on in your mind but people look down at you for it. Feeling sick but still trying to make your way, hanging onto every last ounce of hope and faith because it's all you have. Not motivated to get up and get moving or to even say a word. ....to be ctnd
I know those feelings too...it's horrible...
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It is like trying to dig out of your own grave or like half of you is always buried. Especially at its worse.
These drawings are so beautiful. Would you consider selling some of your work if you don't already?
There's nothing I can do. Stuck in one place. Unable to move away from the pain an utter despair. Just baring it alone and nobody but me knows what I'm going through. That's how it felt. This picture remarkably identifies. I'm not alone
That captures my dread and feelings that I am trapped, but doesn't show the fear.
These are all absolutely incredible! Beautiful work. Disturbing. As they should be. Shows the world how we feel inside.
Looking back when I did suffer from major depression it was very much like this. It's like living in hell with no escape except death
How is it that you no longer live with it? I can't remember not being depressed
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This is exactly how it feels. Debilitating stress and anxiety dragging you down. Feeling unable to cope with everyday things. It's like everyone around you can see blue sky and sunshine but when you look up all you see is darkness and no matter how hard you try you can't see the sun. It's very isolating
I feel like crying because this picture perfectly describes my depression.
This entire body of work is stunning. As an artist, and having experienced both PTSD and depression, I applaud this. immensely insightful gorgeous illustration.
I feel like I do have depression.. But my family keeps saying it's all in my head..
Many people who have never experienced depression tends to say things like that. Try to contact a local psychologist to talk about it, especially since your family don't seem to understand.
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Definitely feeling this one. Exactly how I feel when depression takes over me.
I know this feeling very well...when friends can't help you and at the end, they leave, because of frustration wich is causing my behavior in depression...depression is killing from inside and destroying relationships...
I know this feeling...when you have friends, but nobody can't help you and at the end, they leave, because are nervous because of you...and you are falling deeper into depressions...
That's how I felt when I was depressed as a teen after my OCD disorder. I wanted to come back to life but was feeling too "melted down" to make any move... My therapist suggested that I did things I liked to make my mood better but I just couldn't find the strength... It only got away for some reason. Maybe the fact that I wasn't thinking about it anymore. Hope you guys recover and find your way back... Lots of support here and a big hug for you.
The moment there seems to be a chance of normality, someone else's expectations try to be exerted and I have to step back into this dank hole. I only feel almost normal when it's 3am, I'm locked in a room, and there is no chance on someone knocking on the door.
This is exactly how it feels. Debilitating anxiety and stress. Feeling unable to cope with everyday life. It's like everyone telling you that the sky is blue but no matter how much you stare at it it still looks black to you and there's no way for you to see the blue sky everyone talks about. Feeling trapped, cornered and the only escape is suicide.
I always said it feels like I am being sucked into a black vortex, hanging on to edge with my fingernails trying to claw my way out. This drawing is perfect.
I think of it more as standing, looking up at the distant light, with a heavy weight around my neck and shoulders, from the bottom of a deep well.
The teeth are what gets me. When you feel this trapped within yourself you can bare as many teeth as possible but your smile always feels forced.
This is unreal! It's dead on and I can literally feel it from the drawing.
Who is the artist behind this piece??could they do one for drug addiction more specifically heroin addiction my younger brother passed away due to a heroin addiction and iv been trying to find a tattoo to represent the pain it causes and think one of these would symbolise it perfectly
Wow, I think you got that one spot on. I could almost feel that. god.
You should create a illustration for Gender Dysphoria. That's what I have. BTW, love the artwork presented here. Describes exactly what I'm going through.
Yes stuck in something very sticky and can't get out of the dark deep hole
I would draw myself trapped in the fetal position, under a blanket that was safety pinned down.
You have precisely manage to accurately describe how I feel on a daily basis.
Beautiful, terrifying, and accurate. This truly sums out how I feel and cannot express. Well done!
This is completely spot on! I've climbed out of the hole only to be buried from the waist up. And with every move forward you sink deeper back into the abyss....
I felt very depressed for a while, thanks God I went to see a therapist, she did help, not only by listening but because she recommended me an antidepressant, I felt so much better after 3 weeks or so, she explained that we are like batteries, we hold so much stress that we ended up depleted of whatever chemical in our brain, now I don't take it, depression us terrible, wish everyone happiness and hope
This is exactly how it feels. You've portrayed many of my mental illnesses so realistically.
When you feel like giving up, anxiety stress and heartache make you so sick to your stomach that your mind is spinning out of control with emotion and thoughts of hopelessness. When it is time to ask for help but you don't even feel worth it. Feeling like an inconvenience and like nobody should even care about you because you don't want them to waste their feelings. Being kicked when your down and struggling to see the light at the other end. Pain is temporary, trying to tell yourself it will work out but in the moment it seems impossible while your mind is flooded with disturbing thoughts. Sick at feeling alone but rather be alone then burden anyone. Consumed with pain. Trying to explain how you feel and what goes on in your mind but people look down at you for it. Feeling sick but still trying to make your way, hanging onto every last ounce of hope and faith because it's all you have. Not motivated to get up and get moving or to even say a word.
For me, the severe depression has caused me to regress to the emotional state of a toddler. I don't watch tv, and when things get to be too much to bear, I go to open-world RPGs to escape reality. But, if something happens to my internet, I start shaking and, when I used to have issues with my computer, it would cause me to cry like an baby. I would be inconsolable and thinking would be impossible.
Sending you good vibrations. Wish I could fix it
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It's crazy seeing this and totally getting it. This is exactly how depression feels if you were to draw it. So accurate!
Disturbing. But this is how I feel when going through a major episode. One should wish for that others could see you like that.
Omg. I've never seen depression and anxiety in art form. This should make more of those that have NO idea or tell you to pull your socks up stop and think and give them a whopping great insight in to what us sufferers go through 😞
Wow. This is.exactly the creature screaming in my head. Am just in awe of your understanding and talent.
This EXACTLY what it feels like, so impressed with this. the only thing missing is the large weight crushing your chest.
I cannot adequately express how much these portrayals resonate with me. Every one of my diagnoses is spot on. I got tears in my eyes. Thank you for doing this.
I both recognize and don't recognize this. When I'm not on my meds I'll have periods like this, heavy and sucked into a motionless void, but most of the time I'd rathe BE pulled down. I don't fight it, in some ways it feels comforting. Safe. And then I'll have bouts of grief/guilt that I'm allowing it to happen. Depression is very different for everyone, and it can be cery hard for outsiders to understand, because of that.
You do not have to go through this alone! Please check out my page for anyone who is suffering from Mental Health, Substance Abuse, Disease, Disability, Bullying, Grieving, or any other difficult circumstances. I want to build a community of people who feel as though they have no outlet. It's a page based on positive reinforcement and a clear view that there are millions of people suffering from the same situations. Please give it a look, it's something fairly new, but I would love to expand it into something extraordinary. If we can share our stories, more people will do the same and we can bring awareness to these causes and hopefully help build funding for more research! The page is called MindFelt, link is on the bottom! https://www.facebook.com/MindFeltHaven/?fref=ts
It is so hard to explain to those who don't, or won't, understand the disease, how you feel inside. These drawings are so representative. Thank you for putting a face to these debilitating illnesses.
The struggle is so perfectly illustrated. To be brought down by your own mind and body, then feeling stuck there. Love the face because it's a so badly you want someone to understand but you're so deep in it seems impossible
:) Probably often due to pesticides in food: https://www.google.it/webhp?sourceid=chrome-instant&ion=1&espv=2&ie=UTF-8#q=depression+pesicides
Yeah, depression is like you're chained not to be able to reach to the light again...it's horrible...:(
Yep, I describe barb in my muscles on chians weighing me down but that sensation is it
And, while I'm at it, this one has found a home inside my head, too. One of these diagnoses is bad enough, but having 4 or 5 of them...maybe 6...all rolled up together, really take hold of your life sometimes.
Hello Shawn, your drawings are absolutely fantastic... Would it be possible to have your email? I would love to get in touch about a film related request..
I am suffering depression for 3 months now. I feel like taking my life to escape from peer pressure. Their bullies andinsults are getting inside my heads..i feel like god doesnt want me to be happy..he doesnt want me to be loved.. he only gives me all wrong people.dont know what to do..
Loraine, seek help. Talk to your doctor, or counsellor (if you at school)! Do it, as soon as possible. It is bad cloud, fog you are in, there is a way out! Seek help!
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This is great. I'd tell people it feels like being under 50, hot, wet blankets.
Borderline Personality Disorder
I always find it fascinating how others see me, compared to how I see myself. While I understand the interpretation, and it is mesmerizing. I find, for me, it feels, like a perpetual black hole inside that nothing can fill, and, forever trying to decipher the reality of what is going on around me, as compared to how I feel is going on around me. People see BPD as instigatory and drama seeking, while, the few I have had the opportunity to talk to, agree, that it's actually reactionary, in a desperate attempt to keep up with the constantly shifting emotions. Chasing what can't be caught, reacting to what has already passed. Amazingly, I do see myself as naked in front of everyone. Like my emotions leave me perpetually ashamed and exposed.
Autism Spectrum Disorder
I think it's beautiful and perfectly shows the sadness from not being heard or understood.
Paranoid Schizophrenia
My husband is schizophrenic and I must say mostof these images really show the torment of the disorders, but this one could be more so I think. It doesn't show how horrible and degrading schizophrenic delusions can be. It's like torture.. it's like having your entire being torn apart and eaten alive by demons that no one else can see. His voices torment him 24/7... Sometimes his hallucinations keep him from sleeping... Besides it always being like he's in a room full of people judging and putting him down, he also hears explosions and smashing noises that will keep him up all night. This disorder permeates every part of our lives. Of all the seriously mental health disorders I think this one is the most extreme and debilitating BY FAR. Now a days, 2 years into him being a full blown schizophrenic, caring for him is like taking care of an old person with dementia.. he doesn't cook for himself, he barely cleans.. and doesn't remember anthing we talk about.. lots of notes and alarms...
OCD
My OCD is also not to do with cleaning, but it brings the point across. Have to do it else you can't get comfy and it destroys you. Mine's to do with routine, I have routines with routines, and timings. It's pretty bad and pretty much ruins my life.
DPD
I didn't even know this was a thing. I've never been able to be alone I have to have someone close by. I looked at this picture a very long time. I have never seen something describe me so clearly.
Depersonalization Disorder
Absolute 100% accurate depiction. Depersonalization is what triggers my panic attacks, particularly nocturnal panic attacks. I'm 34 and have dealt with pretty severe mental illness since 18. Although managed on meds, it's impossible to ever be 100% again. Thank you for your incredible drawings. I appreciate these so much. ❤️
Dissociative Identity Disorder
This is an amazing illustration for the insidious disease that I have. Your work just surpasses words...keep up the good work
Capgras Syndrome
Hadn't heard of this one either! Very interesting. "Capgras Syndrome, also known as Capgras Delusion, is the irrational belief that a familiar person or place has been replaced with an exact duplicate — an imposter (Ellis, 2001, Hirstein, and Ramachandran, 1997)."
Schizophrenia
This one reminds me of Carpenter's "In the mouth of madness". Good job!
Brilliant art work & building great awarness for this hidden yet crippling mental disorders <3
*these hidden
I could understand it perfectly fine without you having correcting it, James.
I miss mine. Panic disorder. And hypochondria.
Yep, social anxiety and agoraphobia are linked to it, but still misses general anxiety disorder with panic attacks, by which I mean we're not necessarily having it in social situations.
Hypochondria relates to OCD above, maybe
This is an ongoing series, October isnt over yet
And all of them may link to mine: selective mutism.
Still a few more days to go...
Haunting and amazing images.
I agree with "iamthegrayone"
I'm a student in psychology, and your drawing really fit with all the description that we can see in class. That's an amazing work !
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Yeah, that's because psychology is based on stigmatization and dehumanization of disabled people.
Ummmm... no, it's not? I'm a disabled Psychology student. I know a handful of other disabled psychology students. We fight the stigmas. And it's not dehumanizing to find common issues(diagnosing criteria) among other people to try to help them have a better life.
One thing is clear to me - there is nothing quite as scary as the human mind!
I'm always curious why society has selected a hand full of mental illnesses that should be taken seriously and the small handful of ones that people can "just get over" things that are though to only effect a small group of people like children so when an adult has it they need to just grow up. ADD doesn't go away when you graduate and it isn't just a learning disability. It's there when you try to drive, when you spend five minutes trying to get that word back that you had in your head and you couldn't spit out. When you can't remember a simple task you've been given seconds ago or when you just can't stay on task even if it's a task you want to do and you love to do, sometimes your brain holds the leash and you can't pull it free. It's a deafening silence in your head begging for your attention. It'd be nice if people would stop calling it just a learning disability, it sucks all the time not just in school.
I didn't know I had it until I tried to hold down a job in my field and couldn't manage multiple tasks with differing priority levels and a very rapid paced and stressful worm environment. I always just assumed I had a horrible attention span and ability to focus and stay on task while in college.
Wow! How can I get a copy? x
How would you portray ADD? I'm forever told that "oh I know just how you feel" and "I'm just the same" or "you don't run round lots?" And it's infuriating as they don't see that it's not just one little thing but lots,constantly and endless energy in your head or the need to disconnect and having to scratch and bite yourself to stay engaged and stimulated or the way it destroys friendships. Never being able to achieve a dream or idea as its too big or quickly too dull. Held in place by your own enthusiasm and ideas.
Isn't that ADHD?
Add is tricky. At times I can feel bombarded by everything around me. No being able to filter out what is important and what is not. Other times I am in my own little bubble, hyperfocusing on my task oblivious to everything else going on around me.
I was wondering that myself. It's awful. The way it can feel so quiet in your head and you want to do something to wake yourself up a little and the feeling of not being able to control your brain is just uncomfortable to say the least. I hate the way I feel off meds because I feel like I don't have that controll over my brain. It's like it's it's own entity that's always trying to reign you back into submission.
I have OCD and non of my friends dont believe this is a real illness they say i can overcome and its just a phase! Thank you for this post and drawings totally creates awarness!
These are insanely dope!!! How can I get in contact with the artist?!
He's on Facebook, his page is Shawn Cross - Artist
These are all very spot on, but on anorexia, I know a lot of people, including myself, it felt like a voice in the back of your head, so a figure behind them like whispering in their ear would have completed it
Heartbreaking yet incredibly accurate portrayals. Very well done!
I find these pieces valid and beautiful. I am curious as to the process of creating of this art.
Can you make one for skitzoaffective disorder
Very well shown In depth in the characters
Absolutely amazing! Very well done, you're EXTREMELY talented!
Well done I really enjoyed passing by really would like to see what you could do with dyslexia
Brilliant work congratulations
I have social anxiety really bad, and have had it pretty much all my life, and I've never seen anything so accurate! I'm kind of glad that it was social anxiety rather than general anxiety, because I never see anything with social anxiety, it's good because I have SAD rather than GAD
everytime I see post that I don't understand but somehow get so many viewer or upvotes I always assume it must contain some secret language or so. :|
This has been enlightening. The pictures reminds me of that game "Limbo".
Me too.
I want to share your work on my podcast
Incredible, powerful, accurate, Thank you! The ones speak to me most are PTSD, Bipolar, Autism, Depression, Anxiety, Cotards Delusion, DID. Always protect your Brain kids! Have you ever thought of creating one for PNES(Psychogenic Non-Epileptic Seizures) II believe it may qualify, and would be interested to see how you see it. https://www.epilepsy.com/article/2014/3/truth-about-psychogenic-nonepileptic-seizures
Brilliant depictions of these disorders. Talent!
Good thing I don't suffer from any of these. Or...DO I? No...What am I thinking?
These drawings are far more creepier that the mental disorder
I don't understand the BPD picture, I suffer from BPD, but for some reason I don't understand what is happening and why it's happening...in the picture I mean
I have PTSD, and immediately cried upon seeing your illustration on it. It's painfully accurate and I appreciate the artwork as well as bringing awareness to people who may not understand.
Don't understand all the crosses for Schizophrenia. Don't know how they are tied to the disorder, please someone try to elaborate and explain to me why they might be there
Why oh why are all these illnesses portrayed in this way !! we have an illness like malaria or chickenpox. Illustrating this with pen and ink gives a total missinterpratation of what is simply an illness like any other.
What are these drawings meant to do?
This is amazing. I was hoping so much for an ODD one.
wow
Absolutely amazing pictures. I would love to order one of the pictures. Is there any way you can do it? / Emma
I wish you would do one about OCPD, ADHD or Alexithymia. I suffer from these three. :(
Spot on for bipolar! Very talented.
These are amazing but the ocd picture only showed one type of ocd and it's the only one most people think of but it's not necessarily most common. It's a misconception that's it's purely a cleanliness or neatness obsession. It is so much more than that. It doesn't help awareness of that illness.
I do think the artwork is really good but OCD isn't just about cleaning as I have OCD and I'm not obsessed with cleaning and I don't think clean clean clean all the time. Jennifer xx
Very amazing art thank you
This is really amazing.
Absolutely fantastic. Actually gave me goose bumps because of how accurate some of these feel for me.
Wow! Are any for sale?
Very good
This is amazing! Maybe you could do one for Body dysmorphic disorder, I guess you get requests all the time xx
Great art works perfrct for Tim Burton's production ㅋㅋㅋ
I found these images a bit triggering. I spend a lot of energy trying to remind myself that mental illness is not mysterious or sinister or having a destructive motive of its own, and that there is no "dark force" at work. I appreciate that these pictures do represent lived experience for some, for me too. But personally I find that personifying the illness makes it scarier than it already is. Certainly it's an interesting post though, and it's encouraging to see from the comments that a lot of people take solace in these pictures.
Great thing to look at if you wanna learn about this kinda stuff but have a artist soul
http://recipeshindimein.com
lovedloved them all a
These drawing are beautiful
A couple are missing, but still hauntingly beautiful
I wish the artist or someone else could comment on the "#5 bipolar disorder" drawing's symbols...
Forgot one .... adhd
I am not lazy and did post and did get this response!!!!!! Hey Dee Frame, Woohoo! Your comment "I agree with "iamthegrayone" " has got its first upvote.
I would like to see ADHD. Constantly being bombarded with everything around you and not being able to filter things out.
So does this mean you stopped after the 18? Wish I could see some more...
Would have been interested in the artists take on Post Partum Depression, or worse, Post Partum Traumatic Stress Disorder.
The darkness in every one of these really disturbs me - I think they portray people living with mental illness as goulish, halloween characters full of darkness, dangerous and to be feared and despised and dis-intergrated. I see from the comments people living with the various disorders are either really committing to them being an accurate depiction for them or saying 'it's nothing like that" - I am not adverse to the dark AND I think the Ink IS powerful - but it does not describe my lived experience... of two of these diagnoses. It is well known tha mania is a state of hyper connectivity to ideas, thoughts nature, ideas, words, schemas, patterns AND most people in manic highs pretty well wants to involve other people to come on board the fast train. I find these images repellant and want to claim some ground back from them. There is ALWAYS a third face - and space in our times that is something more than the duality, the pain, the harm and hurt. We are people - not monsters.
We are not the monsters, but the illnesses can be
These are simply brilliant.
I do not know what to say because I always wanted to draw these worlds feelings but I did not know how to make them. This artist is siper because with her designs tells a lot of things and feelings. . . I like how to draw because it is similar to how I will like to learn to draw.-/ Non so cosa dire, perché ho sempre voluto disegnare questi mondi sentimenti, ma non sapevo come farli. Questo artista è super perché con i suoi disegni racconta un sacco di cose e dei sentimenti. . . Mi piace come disegnare perché è simile a come mi piacerebbe imparare a disegnare.
I think it's good artwork in and of itself but terrible for getting your point across on your idea of mental illness and the people who have it. If an artist needs people with the disorders to be the majority of people who think their art is a 100% accurate depiction of it, then they're not a very good artist.
amazing!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I want a print of all of them. How can I arrange a purchase?
Amazingly accurate and impelling art. Having people in my life who have some of these disorders, and having worked in mental health, I'm in awe of someone taking on the task. We need this. Art explains more than words can say.
Amazing. Will these be available for purchase at any time?
Amazing. Will these be available for purchase at any point?
Amazing. Will these be available to purchase at any point?
Your art is amazingly beautiful
I wonder if he could put these in a coffee table book with the definitions of the diseases and his motivation. I think that these are amazingly accurate. I would definitely buy that book.
Your work is amazing. <3
How do I contact the artist for permission to tattoo!?!
Very very well done #mentalhealthawareness
Nice