Now, some of you might be asking--what does Blondie have to do with mental health? Well, the book comes from:
Well then!!
Now, this is a 1950 publication, so "psychiatric consultant" or not, this is pretty much the equivalent of one of those short instructional films on etiquette they would show your parents (grandparents?) when it was raining during recess. Mental health = being nice to each other and getting along with everybody!!
For example, in the lead story, Dagwood has a bad day...
And as a result, he passes it along when he gets home...
Well, Blondie has the cure recommended by the New York State Department Of Mental Hygiene: beat he physical crap out of something!
Sublimate!! SUBLIMATE!!
You can tell how serious this issue is, because the moral is given to us by dogs:
I won't bore you with the rest of the stories in this tome--the canine-delivered lesson in each pretty much tells you the point:
All fair enough. Although, to modern sensibilities, this tales seem to be more "don't be a rude jackass" and "show common courtesy" than "maintain good mental health." Conform, people--CONFORM!!!
But I'm outranked on that conclusion:
Mental health is "getting along with other people"...and making life "a little pleasanter for the people around you." Oh, 1950s, don't ever change.
Now every source I can find says this was a 1950 comic book...
...but that back cover clearly says 1952, and Averell Harriman wasn't governor until 1955. The amusingly amateurishly crossed out/stamped in names suggest that New York had plenty of these books on hand for years, and just wrote over the names of elected/appointed officials rather than print up new copies.
Anyway, you now know why your parents (or grandparents) are so screwed up.
BONUS: One of those "you must get along with everyone" shorts, with commentary from your crack MST3K team:
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