Mental health has been named as one of the largest challenges worldwide. One-eighth of the world’s population are affected by a mental illness alerting health services around the globe to search for way to tackle a rising problem. Most mental health services are overworked and can’t cope with the increased demand. Therefore, the world-health organization proposes a multisectoral approach to mental health, where protecting and strengthening protective factors as well as reducing risk factors across the population are recommended. Previous work in public health shows that exploring grim dark narratives helped individuals to cope better with stressors during a crisis (e.g., the pandemic). Further, engaging with an intense hobby like Warhammer has shown to provide several mental health benefits for players. Looking into the narratives and stories of Warhammer we see several depictions of mental health needs through a darkly comedic lens. Does this mean we can draw on the grim dark future as a support space to address the current mental health crisis?
This talk explores the deeper links between “mental health” and the grim dark future: First, we will explore how mental health has been depicted in the Warhammer 40k lore focusing on the Imperium of mankind. We will explore how common mental illnesses such as depression and anxiety may have been rebranded as “signs of demons” similar to the depictions of mental health in the past. Building on the understanding of the depiction of mental health we investigate how the hobby has been used previously to address mental health needs. Overall this talk wants to contribute a better understanding about the rich and important connection between mental health needs and the exploration of narratives.
Author bio
Dr Martin Dechant is a Lecturer in Digital Mental Health at UCL, where he leads the UCL Digital Mental Health Hub. His research explores mental health in digital environments, investigating how play and games can serve as tools for assessing and addressing mental health needs.
