Naomi Sacks, of New York City, was in ninth grade when she was diagnosed with depression and admitted to the hospital. After several years spent learning to manage her mental health, Sacks, now 20, is doing much better. To share her message of hope, she partnered with her father to write a comic book about Cleo, a teen with supernatural powers who battles depression.
Q: What was writing this like?
A: Revisiting my past gets intense at times. But writing feels like an outlet to say things that I didn’t know how to say at the time.
Q: How do you balance the dark and light elements of the story?
A: Cleo’s in a dark place in the beginning, but then it gets gradually more uplifting and more powerful as she begins to fight back, so to speak.
Q: What aspects of the story did you feel strongly about?
A: There’s a stereotypical image of a therapist in a lab coat with glasses. I wanted to show that therapists can be funny and very warm.
Q: Any advice for young people struggling with mental health?
A: It’s easy to compare yourself to people who aren’t struggling, but instead of looking for things you’re doing wrong, look at the things you’re doing right. Showing up in any form is better than not showing up.
This interview was edited and condensed for length and clarity.