[Kaupunkitutkimus] Webinar: Mental Health, Culture and Communication 5.2.2025, 14:00-16:00 UTC+2 (Current Intersections of Culture, Language and Wellbeing series)

[KULTVA tutkijaverkosto]

Online seminar series Current Intersections of Culture, Language and Wellbeing presents:



Mental Health, Culture and Communication



Time: 5.2.2025, 14:00-16:00 UTC+2 / EET

Place: Zoom https://utu.zoom.us/j/64982504731



Presentations:



Annastiina Mäkilä, University of Turku

"Wandering concepts: How depression was understood in the late 20th century"



Tuula Nygård, University of Oulu

"YouTubers supporting young people's mental health"



Shambhavi Singh, University of Helsinki
"Building bridges: Communicating research through Non-fiction graphic narratives"



See abstracts below.

Annastiina Mäkilä (University of Turku): Wandering concepts: How depression was understood in the late 20th century

How we understand illness and disorders shapes our experiences of ourselves and each other. Depression has had many definitions. My presentation will focus on group-specific conceptions of depression among students, postdoctoral researchers, and doctors in training in the Department of Psychology and the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Turku during 1980-1995. The conceptions of depression were diverse. In group-specific perceptions, scientific disciplines, schools of thought, and theories coexisted alongside everyday and work-related definitions of depression. In the presentation, I will discuss how these perceptions wandered and how they were constructed.

Tuula Nygård (University of Oulu): YouTubers supporting young people's mental health

Youth mental health challenges are recognized as a serious public health concern worldwide. Social media is an integral part of young people's daily lives and, especially in public discourse, heavy use of smartphones and social media has been suggested as a key cause of increased mental health problems among young people. However, social media also offers opportunities to build social relationships and share experiences. Social media influencers, such as YouTubers, can be relevant sources of mental health information, peer support and identification for young people. My presentation will focus on describing the types of mental health related issues that YouTubers discuss and the mental health expertise they present.



Shambhavi Singh (University of Helsinki): Building bridges: Communicating research through non-fiction graphic narratives

Sequential graphic narratives have been around ever since humans made marks to  communicate their everyday lives. From cave paintings, to Bayeaux tapestry, Miniature paintings to present day comics journalism, graphic memoirs and data comics, Graphic narratives afford rich possibilities to visualize the human condition. I present in this talk some examples of non-fiction graphic narratives and how we are using it as a tool for taking our research on mental health beyond the confines of academia. I will also present the arts-based exercises we have used in our research workshops as methods of inquiry. With this talk I hope to shed light on interdisciplinary collaboration between researchers and artists and how experimentation through artistic means builds bridges between academia and the public at large.



This seminar is part of the online, multidisciplinary collaboration between three networks of the University of Turku: the Cultural Interaction Researcher Network KULTVA<https://blogit.utu.fi/kultva/en/front-page/>, the Centre of Language and Wellbeing (LaWe)<https://sites.utu.fi/lawe/en/#:~:text=Centre%20for%20the%20Study%20of%20Language%20and%20Wellbeing%20LaWe%20aims,serves%20and%20improves%20our%20societies.>, and the Research Center for Culture and Health<https://www.utu.fi/en/yliopisto/humanistinen-tiedekunta/kulttuurin-ja-terveyden-tutkimusyksikko>