AN artist has put pencil to paper and drawn a series of monsters that depict various mental illnesses in an effort to help people “visualize and beat” the disease.

    Toby Allen, who is based in the U.K., created a whole collection of illustrations that anthropomorphize mental illnesses like depression, schizophrenia and body dysmorphic disorder.

    Allen said the response to his work has been hugely positive thanks to its presence on Tumblr.

    Allen wrote on his blog, “The artwork is not at all intended to make light of these conditions but instead is intended to give these intangible mental illnesses some substance and make them appear more beatable as physical entities.”

    The artist explained that he started by designing the Anxiety monster, as anxiety is something familiar to him meaning he found the design came naturally.

    The monster was designed to be small enough to sit on the victim’s shoulder and whisper things in their ear.

    He said he hopes the drawings will help to reduce the stigma around mental illness and that they will help bring an element of humor and understanding to the conditions.

    He explained that he made the monster a dark color to reflect the oppressive feeling he associates with anxiety.

    His Social Anxiety monster has pale anaemic-looking skin because it spends most of its life underground.

    Allen also drew the monster with hard plates that act as a means of defense.

    He said that the Avoidant Personality Disorder monster is similar to the Social Anxiety monster except that it prefers to live above ground, mainly hiding in trees.

    He designed this monster with leaf-like wings to act as camouflage so it can hide from people around it.

    The Borderline Personality Disorder monster Allen describes as “the most delicate but perhaps the most sinister of monsters.”

    These creatures, he said, gather in swarms around their victims to heighten their emotions.

    He designed this monster as made almost entirely of ice so that it is clear and invisible, much like the disease at times.

    Allen’s Schizophrenia monster is a “vile creature” that manipulates its victims — it also uses hallucinogenic gases to control and influence others.

    The Depression monster is designed as one that floats around endlessly with its eyes covered to hide itself from the world.

    Allen’s Dissociative Identity Disorder monster is able to alter its form into whatever it likes — it can change its physical form as well as taking on different personas.

    Finally, the Paranoia monster has long ears that it can use as radar to look for dangerous activity.(SD-Agencies)