Nightmares
Sarah Wake
I based this piece on a consultation I attended during my second G.P. Attachment. A mum came in with her two youngest children* as she was very worried about the issue of bullying at school. Underlying the problem was the fact that an older brother of theirs had been given undesirable local media-attention. A boy at school picked up on this and began to target the family. The young brother received most of the bullying – he had lost his friends and was attacked both physically and verbally in school daily. He had been turned into a ‘cowering’ mess. The ten-year old described nightmares to me where ugly faces ‘laughed at him’ and the bully’s face would not leave his mind. I tried to portray the youngster’s sense of loneliness and isolation in the painting and also the description of his nightmares. The image is painted blue to reflect the overall mood. I also tried to create a ‘dream-like’ atmosphere coming from within the child through my style of painting.
The young boy was an innocent victim in this situation, and the consultation really saddened me. I felt an emotional attachment to the case. This was not a medical problem, but the family was at a loss about where to turn and the G.P. provided much needed listening skills and social advice.
* details changed to maintain patient-confidentiality
Whole Person Care, Year One, 2009
This piece really captures the feeling of isolation and terror of the boy’s situation, and no doubt that of others who have been left feeling helpless due to victimisation.
I really like the use of the different shades of blue in this piece, as it conveys both the darkness in the boys life as well as in his nightmares. the faces integrated into flames create a hellish image and portray the mental torture this boy was undergoing.
I think this is an excellent depiction of how something can empower someone-else. The use of the shades of blue suggest a really cold feeling that the ‘youngster’ may have felt. The use of the ugly faces also help to show the view point of the boy, evoking sympathy within those viewing the picture. This is a common problem in society and it was interesting to this depiction of it.
This painting expresses how scared and trapped the boy is as his bullying is having an impact on his life at home and his controlling nightmares means that he cannot get away from the distress he is feeling. The haunting figures in the background show how he is being mocked and as he has buried his face you can really sense his isolation.
This piece and its reflection fascinated me, as they show another aspect of being a GP – the role they may have to play in terms of providing non-medical support to patients. The very fact that a situation like the one above could arise demonstrates how much patients trust their GPs, and how they can even see them as a source of authority and support in areas other than the purely medical. It also underlines the fact that care for the whole person encompasses more than just the physical – as the boy is in need of help despite (presumably) being healthy. It also made me consider the related issue of how bullying and loneliness could possibly lead to physical issues such as severe anxiety, helplessness, self-harm, anorexia, etc.
This piece is very insightful into the troubles many young children face today and it is a sad reality we all have to live with. I like the way this reality was portrayed in the picture, good work.
I love this. Without a doubt you have captured such an array of deep emotion and turmoil. This is so representative of what it might have felt like for the boy, the faces almost like haunting ghosts in what seems like a hopeless situation. You have evoked empathy in anyone who views this and reminded me of battles that on the surface don’t seem unbearable but really they are.
I think that this piece is very capturing of the struggles of the younger children, and reflects well the fear and pain that this child feels. It also touches well on the idea that patients’ that come to the GP may not always present with physical symptoms, but also for psychological reasons as well. The use of the distorted faces surrounding the boy completely show how overpowering such bullying can be, and how large the effect can be on in individual, and exacerbates the seriousness with which it should be treated.