Mental illness is large public health issue in the world today. Those with mental illnesses face shame and humiliation everyday due to stigmatization. Individuals with mental illness also do not talk about their illnesses often due to fear of being ostracized. The stigma on mental health breeds shame and fear in those with mental illness. Also, the stigma on mental health often paves the way for self-stigma in individuals with mental illnesses. (“Investment in Social Marketing Campaign” pg 1). Individuals with self-stigma often blame themselves for their illness. Self-stigma also makes recovery and treatment more difficult because individuals diagnosed with self-stigma are often discouraged to talk and seek treatment for their illness. (“Ways Mental Illness Is Commonly Misrepresented”). The stigma on mental health can also cause individuals with mental health issues to isolate themselves from others due to the fear of facing stigma and discrimination.
So, why is there such a large stigma on mental health in the media? According to Devin Byrd, who is a professor of Behavioral Sciences from South University, mental health is often misrepresented in the media simply because it is not understood. (“Ways Mental Illness Is Commonly Misrepresented”). Individuals with mental illness are often seen as weak, violent, and unmotivated simply because the public does not understand; however, individuals with cancer are seen as strong and determined. Mental illness can not be physically seen by others. Mental
illness is a battle that occurs inside of an individual’s head. Cancer, on the other hand, can be physically seen by the public. The effects of cancer on the human body can be seen because it appears on the outside rather than the inside like mental illness. (“Breaking the Stigma and Shame of Mental Illness”). The public often sees individuals with mental health issues as responsible for their illnesses. The public also sees mental illness as “permanent and untreatable.” (Levin). Due to mental illnesses not being visible to the public, there is often confusion which leads to stereotypes and stigma on mental health to occur.
According to a study from the National Health Association (NMHA), about “seventy percent of the public” receive their information about mental health from media such as the news, movies, and television shows. (“Ways Mental Illness Is Commonly Misrepresented”). While the media can be a useful tool in providing the public with information, the media can also can make a situation worse by not providing accurate information. When discussing mental health in the media, the information is often inaccurate and portrays mental health in a negative light. For example, individuals with mental illness are often portrayed in the media as being violent and dangerous. In reality, however, individuals with mental illness are more likely to be victimized by others rather than being the perpetrators. (Levin). For example, in the media, characters with mental health issues are often portrayed as killing or harming other characters. (Stuart). Another example of how the media often displays inaccurate information is how everyone with schizophrenia is portrayed to have hallucinations. In reality, only about “sixty to eighty percent” of individuals diagnosed with schizophrenia actually experience hallucinations. (Saleh).
Mental illness is often portrayed by the media in a negative light due to misunderstandings and misconceptions about mental health. Entertainment media, such as movies and television, often provide “dramatic and distorted images of mental illness” that portray individuals diagnosed with mental illness to be dangerous and unpredictable. (Stuart). Filmmakers also often use incorrect information about mental
health in order to gain a higher entertainment value or the public. A few films that are examples of this negative portrayal on mental health are Split, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, and A Nightmare on Elm Street. The movie Split i s a psychological horror film that follows actions of the character Kevin Wendell Crumb, who has dissociative identity disorder (DID), as he kidnaps three girls. Throughout the movie, the audience watches how Kevin switches form identity to identity, and learns that he has twenty-three distinct personalities. In this film, Kevin’s dissociative identity disorder is what makes him a villian. The film makes it seem like Kevin is only violent and dangerous because he has dissociative personality disorder. This movie angered many within both the medical field and the dissociative identity disorder community. For example, Chris Alter, someone diagnosed with DID, claims that the movie was “discriminatory and stigmatizing.” (Virzi). Those with DID were particularly angry over how they were portrayed. In truth, DID is often caused by unspeakable childhood trauma, and those with DID are not usually violent towards others. The movie One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest is about a convict, RP McMurphy, who pleads insanity as a way to avoid doing work in the prison. This movie negatively portrays how patient in mental health facilities are treated. This negative portrayal of mental health treatment helps to cause reasoning behind not seeking treatment for mental illness. A Nightmare on Elm Street is also a horror film, but it tells the story of Freddy Krueger. Freddy Krueger stalks teenagers and kills teenagers in his dreamworld. A Nightmare on Elm Street portrays how those who leave psychiatric hospitals are violent and dangerous, while One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest portrays the over dramatization of treatment received in mental health facilities. (Haider). Also, in films like Heathers and Thirteen, teenagers are depicted with depression, eating disorders, self and harming. Despite this, the characters in these films never seek treatment through the course of the movie. These films help to provide evidence for how mental illness often is not taken seriously and is considered as just a phase that teenagers are going through. The characters’ behaviours are depicted as normal for teenagers rather than as an illness that requires treatment. (Tartakovsky). These movies help to spread the stigma on mental illness by both portraying false information and by dramatizing correct information to provide entertainment to the public. (Haider). While filmmakers intend to entertain audiences, inaccurate portrayals of mental health can cause more harm than the public realizes. Furthermore, there are ways to entertain audiences without accurately portraying mental illness.
Although mental health is often portrayed in a negative light in film, sometimes filmmakers also also portray mental health in an accurate way. A few examples of movies that accurately portray mental health are A Beautiful Mind, Silver Linings Playbook, and The Perks of Being a Wallflower. In the movie A Beautiful Mind, the audience follows the story of John Forbes Nash Jr. John is a mathematical genius that has to live with schizophrenia. A Beautiful Mind does a wonderful job in capturing how John’s paranoia and delusions alt
ered both his life and his career. The film allows the public to live through the hallucinations with John throughout the course of the movie. Through this, the public is able to see what is like to live with schizophrenia. The movie Silver Linings Playbook tells the story of Pat Solitano after he is released from psychiatric hospital. At the hospital, Pat received treatment for bipolar disorder. This film, rather than portraying mental illness as scary or dangerous, highlights how treatment can actually help those with mental illness. Another positive of this film, is how it accurately portrays the affect mental illness has on families. There is a scene where Pat accidently elbows his mother, causing Pat and his father to end up physically fighting. This scene portrays the family system at its breaking point, which happens quite often. The movie The Perks of Being a Wallflower t ells the story of Charlie, a teenager coping with the suicide of his friend and recovering from childhood trauma. This movie allows the public to get inside the head of someone with mental illness. Charlie narrates the entire movie. The movie shows us Charlie’s thoughts and feelings through the words he speaks during the narration. The film also shows how treatment help those with mental illness. After receiving treatment during the summer, Charlie makes new friends during the school year who help him become more confident and happy with himself. (“NAMI”). These movies show how mental health is portrayed more realistically and accurately than in movies such as Split and Friday the 13th.
The stigma on mental illness not only affects the individual with the illness, but also affects the friends and families of the individual. For example, Stephen Hinshaw grew up with a father that suffered from Bipolar Disorder. Steven’s father would often disappear for months at a time; however, upon his return, there was no explanation given for his disappearance. No one in Stephen’s family would discuss why his father had disappeared, where he had gone, or what he had been doing. According to Henshaw, a professor of psychology at UC Berkeley, people with mental health issues are “among the most stigmatized group in the world today.” (Feldman). Stephen’s father, like many others, never received treatment for his schizophrenia. Many with
mental illness do not seek treatment due to feeling afraid. One reason that provokes fear in those diagnosed with mental illness is how if someone has a history of mental illness, it can lead to the “loss of the custody of their children.” (Feldman). Due to this fear, mental illness is also not talked about often. For example, anytime Stephen would ask where his father was, his mother would tell him, “Your father is resting in California. It’s best if you ask no more questions.” (Feldman). This silence from his family lead to Stephen growing up believing that his father’s disappearances were his fault, as if he was the reason his father needed to go away and rest. Stephen also makes mention of how “approximately 60 percent of people continue to believe that individuals with mental illness are violent.” (Feldman). This perception of mental illness is further spurred on by how the media only focuses on mental illness in negative situations and by ignoring how most violence committed is not by individuals with mental illness.
The media has the power to lessen and eliminate the stigma on mental health. The media should be proactive in making efforts to eradicate the misconceptions and myths often portrayed about mental illness. Mental health can be portrayed in a positive and accurate light with the help of media professionals. A few ways media professionals can help eradicate the stigma on mental illness involve checking the accuracy of their sources and by approaching the topic of mental illness with empathy and understanding. (“Ways Mental Illness Is Commonly Misrepresented”). By checking the accuracy of their sources, media professionals can lessen the spread of false information about mental illness. By being empathetic and understanding, media professionals can model to others how to speak about mental illness. Media professionals can also make sure to educate themselves and provide input from psychiatrists about mental illnesses in their work. This also will help in stopping the spread of false information about individuals with mental illness. It would also be beneficial if media professionals shared stories of individuals who have recovered from mental illness to show that it can be done and that psychiatric treatment is nothing to be afraid or ashamed of. (“Ways Mental Illness Is Commonly Misrepresented”). Media professionals are not the only ones that can help reduce the stigma on mental health. A few ways for the public to help is by maintaining positive attitudes and by encouraging a modem of open communication. The public could also practice being mindful of the language being used in the discussion of mental health. (“Ways Mental Illness Is Commonly Misrepresented”). For an example of being mindful of the language, the public should try to avoid using words like “crazy” when discussing mental health. Furthermore, there are programs put in place to help provide information about mental health that is both free and accurate. (Saleh). For example, for those who work in the entertainment industry, there is the Entertainment Industries Council and the Hollywood, Health, and Society program. (Donley).
Overall, I believe that the best solution to eliminating the stigma on mental health in the media would be to have open discussions about mental illness. If mental illness is openly discussed, then the public can begin to understand the truth about mental illness rather than the myths and misconceptions the media exposes them to. Talking about mental illness, would also help people differentiate between the falsities that are made in the media, such as movies or television shows. Open communication about mental illness also helps to eliminate or reduce self-stigma, which is caused by feeling ashamed due to the stigma on mental illness. By talking about mental illness, the public would be learning the truth, would be educating themselves, and would be building an interest in mental illness. By educating themselves, people no longer rely solely on the media to receive information about mental illness and can begin to learn facts rather than misconceptions. Also, the more open discussion there is about mental illness, the more people there are learning and sharing the truth about mental illness with their friends and families.
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