How to handle emotionally sensitive topics in a comic?

[BrambleberrySquirrel]

I have a string of episodes coming up in November that will be dealing with a backstory for a character who suffers from depression. Themes I’m going to be covering include suicide and anti lgbtq discrimination. I’m confident I can handle this well and with a sense of dignity and respect in my comic. What I’m wondering is if I should activate the mature button for these episodes (which seems to just be for violence or sexual situations) or provide some kind of trigger/content warning at the beginning. I’ve had emotionally heavy episodes that deal with mental health before and not taken any extra measures. However, this will be much more explicit compared to how it’s been hinted at in previous updates.

If you’ve tackled similar things in your own stories how did you handle this aspect of it? Am I worrying about my audience too much here?

[Phantomlight]

Personally, I have put a disclaimer before the story episode or comic episode begins, so I would go for a trigger/content warning. Although not all creators do that, your question here means you're very considerate and mindful of the feelings and reactions that such topics you'll touch upon will have on the audience and that's fantastic. If there is going to be violence or sexual situations in the episodes I would also put a mature button, but if not perhaps the trigger/content warning is enough.

And I will also tell you my experience as reader who does have a few triggers that it's great when authors put warnings or at least mention in the tags and description of the comic that there will be something that could be off-putting or triggering to people such as gore or blood for example. I think touching on these topics is a good way to teach others about mental health and also discrimination, which some people think does not even exist in our times, which is silly, but I know people personally who think that.

[a.g.meade]

I would echo @Phantomlight about putting a trigger warning or disclaimer before each episode that contains these difficult topics. I don't personally think the 'mature' warning would be needed for discrimination, but possibly for the suicide themes depending on the exact content there.

[sarahmcsquish]

I'd say just put a disclaimer at the beginning of the episode

[BrambleberrySquirrel]

Thanks everybody for your advice on this. I’m going to go ahead and add a content warning disclaimer at the top of these episodes when I put them up. I really appreciate the feedback!

[R.n.P]

Don't worry much about it, its your story, as long as you have clear direction about it, its actually related to the plot of your story and you're not lazy about it, go for it, the story is your story, not your readers.

[NickRowler]

Themes I’m going to be covering include suicide

If you are going to cover this topic, something to keep in mind is that you should not depict anyone killing themselves or detailed descriptions of how to set up a suicide. If the characters are teens, you should avoid narratives that use suicide as a means to make bullies or abusers feel bad about what they did.

I would recommend reading up on criticism of 13 Reasons Why and psychologists who specialize in teen depression say about it.

Also going to note that some web comic sites will ban you for showing suicide in a flattering way.

[somekh]

These are two topics that I would honestly say that if you haven’t experienced them... don’t. Some things are better written by people who have had the experience of bigotry or being near suicidal, hence the creation of the #ownvoices movement.

If you still want to though, as others have said, include some warnings at the beginning of each episode for what it’s going to contain. Things that are tasteless that you should not include under any circumstance are:
• Imagery of bodies / uncensored pictures of people who have committed suicide
• Uncensored images of self harm
• Uncensored slurs

[UrMom]

As someone with a comic that has depression, trauma and domestic abuse as major themes I would agree that a warning at the beginning of the page would be good for the parts about suicidality. If most of your comic has heavy themes then just adding discriminations in a warning at the beginning of the comic with other general warnings would be fine, or in the description. Discrimination sucks, but it's not quite as influential as depicting suicide.

My comic has insinuated that one of my MCs attempted suicide in the past, but there will be a current one in an upcoming chapter, and I plan on putting up a disclaimer just for the chapter in spite of already having CWs in my description. (and as a pop-up on my main site) Visually depicting stuff like that is really serious business, even when you're doing your best to be respectful it can still influence and hurt people. I'm not saying don't do it, because I would be a hypocrite, but I would say be very careful.

Here is a really informative video on the subject if you want to go into it with a deeper understanding.

[scribesunlimited]

Tough one.
As delicately as possible.
Know that you're going to wind up pissing SOMEONE off no matter what, so just be prepared for the onslaught and calmly, politely explain to the group why you tackled a sensitive topic. Be friendly, thank people for their comments, negative as well as positive, and ask kindly that people allow you to write or draw the way you intended. You're not going to make any friends if you attack the attackers. Clear, cool heads can prevail and you can move forward. You might lose a few subscribers but at least you took the high road and kept your dignity.

[BrambleberrySquirrel]

Thanks for those who have taken the time to give some additional feedback on this topic. The themes that will come up in these episodes are ones that I have close personal experience with so I have a good idea of how to write them. Part of my day job involves mental health risk assessment and suicide prevention, particularly with at risk youth.

It's because of this that I'm not planning on showing any images of self harm. I'm not going to be writing about it in a way that encourages or glorifies it or is set up to make people who could possibly be blamed for it feel bad or somehow punished (13 reasons style). Also, none of my characters are minors. All the characters who would be in these updates are in their late 20's to early 30's.

I appreciate all the very thoughtful feedback everybody has given here. My main question here was just how people decide when to put a content warning at the top of an episode, or if they even bother at all. After thinking about it a bit and reading all the great posts on this topic I'll definitely be including one at the top of the episodes in question when they come out.