Cartoons are the epitome of a happy childhood.
Whether it be watching the Justice League duke it out with the Legion of Doom, or the Avatar master all four elements, our childhoods were filled with these amazing stories. Cartoons may have existed in our childhoods, but they didn’t stay there. They grew with us and evolved with us to provide more than just mindless entertainment and heart-filled stories. These cartoons actually help us now in adulthood.
With a growing generation of people more accepting to the LGBTQ community, more aware of mental illness, more embracing of different races and cultures, and a rampant desire for equality, it’s only right that we pass down this mentality to our youth, the same way our parents and the adults of the world did before us, through cartoons. A perfect example of this type of cartoon is Netflix’s original series, “BoJack Horseman” which follows BoJack Horseman, a washed out sitcom actor living his days in a haze of alcohol and cynicism.
The show is clearly meant to be a comedy, as half the characters are talking animals, but that doesn’t stop the show from tackling the serious issue of depression. Throughout the entire show, the audience learns about BoJack’s life and how he got to where he is.
BoJack is clearly depressed but he is almost unaware of it, repressing his feelings with alcohol and aversion. As the series continues, he slowly realizes that he is depressed and begins to start to tackle how to deal with it. With only two seasons, this show already represents a character recognizing and coming to terms with depression while maintaining a comedic atmosphere. 
This show made me realize my own depression. Like BoJack, I would avoid my problems but I didn’t know why. I thought I was just lazy or not good enough to get my work done. I would avoid my problems with drinking or smoking and I lived my life in a haze, emotionally depending on others to keep me afloat. I never once thought that it was depression. I always assumed that they were just slumps, and that even though it had been going on for years, it would end any day. Because of this mindset, I did not seek help and did not make changes. Instead I let it grow. I let it effect my sleep, my work ethic, and most importantly, my relationships. I thought I was happy. 
One scene in particular really emphasizes what someone with depression is going through. During one of his low points, Bojack confronts his friend Diane and asks, “It’s not too late for me, is it? It’s not too late. Diane, I need you to tell me that it’s not too late. I need you to tell me that I’m a good person. I know that I can be selfish and narcissistic and self-destructive… but underneath all that, deep down, I’m a good person and I need you to tell me that I’m good.” This is a lost man, who wants to be better, but can’t. This is a man who went his whole life always depending on other people because he can’t even believe that he is a good person without someone else telling him. This man is literally begging to be told he is good because his own feelings tell him that he isn’t.
This man is me. This scene effected me to the point of tears. I realized that I am the same way, that I can’t be happy unless someone else is assisting me in the process; that I am not OK on my own. I need help.
Bojack and other cartoons like this never explain the depression and never have the direct intent of getting people to recognize depression. Instead, they create an emotional attach to a character that you relate to, that you can connect to.
By doing this, you identify with that character. As they begin to start going through changes within the show, you can relate those changes to your own life. By having a character like BoJack, it gives people who are not capable of socializing, or do not know how to explain their emotions, a way to recognize themselves and something to relate to. Flashbacks to past events help detail why Bojack is depressed, helping viewers to see that their depression is not their faults, rather just the outcome of unfortunate events throughout life, and that it is possible to change.
I believe cartoons like this can have a similar effect on mental illness, that virtual reality exposure therapy (VRET) could have for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). In VRET, the afflicted can experience the root cause of their PTSD in a simulated environment, allowing the person to relive the ordeal and cope with what happened. Imagine a room with a door. Staying in the room forces the person to cope with their PTSD-causing traumatic event, while the door leads to the same room. PTSD has been described as always going through the door with hope that the room will change, even though it never does. VRET essentially forces the afflicted to stay in that room and cope with the trauma, taking away the possibility of escaping through the door. Now for depression, imagine the same room, except the door is an exit. Instead of trying to escape the room, you anticipate the exit is a lie and something worse is on the other side, so you do nothing about your situation and sit there. What cartoons do for this would be to give the viewer an entertaining and non-obvious way to understand your situation.
So why bother explaining all of this? Because this can get better. This is something I believe that can genuinely help people out there. When depression forces inactivity on you, causing you to shut yourself in your room with the lights off and stare at the loading screen of Netflix for entire weeks, shows like this can seriously help.
When all you want to do is connect with someone but you feel planets away from humanity, shows like this can take away the loneliness. Now I know television, especially cartoons, should not be taken as reality, but a lot of people are depressed as a direct result of reality, so wouldn’t it make sense to start looking for cures outside of it?
Since watching this show, I have come to terms with my own depression, and have begun the necessary steps to get myself better. I have family, friends, and “BoJack Horseman” to thank for that.