Mental illness is extremely prevalent in many different forms of media such as: music, movies, television, newspapers and books. I feel as though several people in the class, including myself, did not necessarily understand or recognize how wide spread the subject – and it’s negatively biased portrayal – actually is. Therefore, I was eager to read about the research that has been done on the effects of media on the public’s opinion of mental illness. I admire how many researchers care and bring forth the potential problems caused by certain types of media. By watching the videos in class and reading multiple papers on the way mental illness is represented, I have opened my eyes to the matter at hand. As a result, every time I turn around I …show more content…
For example, in class we talked about how Girl, Interrupted has a more balanced view of people who have mental disorders. If movies presented a balanced portrayal of mental health often then the public would surely feel more at ease with mental health and become less stigma would be placed on those who have mental illnesses. Anderson (2003) explains that readers of media are an “active audience,” they place their own meanings on what they read (p. 300). Therefore, the media could not be at fault without the reactions of the readers. The readers can choose whether or not they will let the media influence their opinion of mental illness. If the media represented mental illness is a balanced manner than the public would likely decide that there is nothing to be afraid of and that the mental health community deserves support and understanding. For instance, there would be no need for The March for Dignity that is supposedly occurring on August 24, 2015 in order to form a national change in mental health if there were enough accurate representations of mental health in the media (Lerner-Wren, 2015). Accurate and balanced portrayals of mental illness may not seem like a huge issue to the public, but when it is something that could change people’s entire outlook on a specific community, it is needed and
Sarbin, J., & Mancuso, R. (1970). Failure of a moral enterprise; attitudes of the public toward mental illness. Journal of Counseling & Clinical Psychology , 35,
However, local and national news also produces negativity towards mental illness by “portraying people with mental illness as threats to themselves and to others” (Anaya 4). In the past two years, the news features stories such as a man who has schizophrenia, running on a shooting spree then killing himself; or a mother with depression who murders her children, then kills herself (Anaya 4). Anaya explains that television programs use mental illness as a headline to grab the attention of views and ultimately implies to respond with fear (5). Highlighting that mental illnesses are the reason for the evil in society, hurting those who suffer with mental illnesses. Therefore, the population begin to believe mental illness is bad, so do the people who suffer with mental
Most people gather what they know about mental illnesses from television and film. Unfortunately these media portrayals are inaccurate and create stigma. They depict people suffering from mental illnesses as different, dangerous and laughable. Characters are often addicted to drugs or alcohol, are violent, dangerous, or out of control. Horror film characters like Norman Bates in Psycho, Jack Torrance in the Shining, or Hannibal Lecter in Silence of the Lambs associate the typical 'psycho- killer' with people who suffer from a mental illness. But dramas and horror films are not the only film genres that create stigma. Comedies like What About Bob and many others not only stigmatize, they also make fun of mental illnesses and the people who suffer from them. This paper will discuss how the film Me, Myself & Irene is an inaccurate, offensive and stigmatizing portrayal of an individual suffering from schizophrenia. It also discusses what can be done to counteract the stigma created by these types of films.
Individuals have to be willing to learn more about a topic instead of jumping to conclusions. Scott McCloud uses explanation is his comic “Blood in the Gutter.” He begins with the notion that readers may already have an idea of the content and storytelling of comics, but tries to persuade them to think deeper. McCloud doesn’t stick with previously known facts. Instead, he reveals his own evidence and forces those listening to change their inferences. In the regions where toughness is valued over any other attribute, care for the mentally ill is few and far between because the mindset is hard to change. When a group of people are set on a certain idea, differing from that can be challenging. Fixing this requires openness to new ideas and learning more about mental illnesses and those that suffer from them. Understanding is an important part of life. McCloud is attempting this feat, but on comics and not health attention. Taking his message and putting it to society is what is needed to help those who require it the
Theriot, Matthew T. "Using Popular Media to Reduce New College Students’ Mental Illness Stigma." Social Work in Mental Health 11-2 (2013): 118-40. Print.
...inst mental illness and bipolar causing fear and hatred. Instead, the media should release information on how to improve mental health and factually portray illness and disease.
"Mental health on the screen under scrutiny." Sun-Herald [Sydney, Australia] 9 Feb. 2014: 24. Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 4 Mar. 2014.
Emma E. McGinty, Daniel W. Webster, Marian Jarlenski, and Colleen L. Barry. "News Media Framing of Serious Mental Illness and Gun Violence in the United States, 1997-2012." American Journal of Public Health. Mar 2003: Vol 104, No. 3. Nursing/Academic Edition. Web. 01 Apr 2014.
Mental illness is often portrayed wrong in the media. Most movies and television shows exclude the details that truly go along with mental illnesses. We must clarify the actual effects of mental illness versus the misrepresentation we are shown on television and in movies. Mental illness is unfortunate, becoming a cliché.
People often like to joke about famous people that are develop mental illness. Others show sympathy towards them and do whatever they can to help them. The author of THE DOUBLE STANDARD OF MENTAL ILLNESS suggest that “we sympathize with those who suffer in silence and gawk and grimace at those who suffer in plain sight” (1). In the 19th century an average citizen wouldn’t know that a famous person was suffering from mental illness because information wasn’t spread as quickly. In the 21st century information is spread very quickly which causes people to learn things really fast. Comedy shows often make light of the issues a celebrity is going through as a form of entertainment. Recently comedian Robin Williams committed suicide after suffering from depression. Many people showed sympathy towards him & his family. However recently Amanda Bynes, a child star, has been suffering from schizophrenia and has been made fun of constantly. The majority of people don’t see mental illness as a problem unless someone dies as a result of
The Effects of Media on the Public's Opinion Mass media - have you ever taken the time to consider two articles about the same thing? Some may be more bias against a group or idea, while others keep a strict, non bias view. The way the media portrays events may change or even corrupt people's thoughts on certain public matters. This paper will dissect four articles on the Woodstock riots and show the relationships and differences between them. On a Sunday night, near the closing song of the Red Hot Chili Peppers, there were a few bonfires were reported. The firefighters, feeling they were under control, let these bonfires burn. Then Limp Bizkit came on, another hard-core band. In their song Breakstuff, the audience climbed a television camera tower and began ripping equipment and other electrical devices off of them. After Limp Bizkit, Rage Against the Machine, another hard-core band, played hard-core music that could have easily incited violence. When the smoke cleared away Monday afternoon, not only were thirty-seven people arrested, out of a countless number; there was also hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of damaged equipment. In the articles, They Must Have Run Out of Drugs and
The media, including television programming, cartoons, film, the news, as well as literature and magazines, is a very powerful and pervasive medium for expression. It can reach a large number of people and convey ideas, cultural norms, stereotypic roles, power relationships, ethics, and values. Through these messages, the mass media may have a strong influence on individual behavior, views, and values, as well as in shaping national character and culture. Although there is a great potential for the media to have a positive and affirming effect on the public and society at large, there may be important negative consequences when the messages conveyed are harmful, destructive, or violent.
Mass media “references to people with mental health problems found more than four in ten articles in the press used derogatory terms about mental health and nearly half of press coverage related mental illness to violence and crime” (Esseler, 244). This is causing for people to look down upon the mention of mental illnesses and many times ignore the importance of confronting this issue. Therefore the importance of removing this stigmatization is crucial. Education allows to make more informed decisions and then changing the perception of mental illness can lead towards policy changes toward the improvement of mental health (Sakellari,
Shutter Island, directed by Martin Scorsese and starring Leonardo DiCaprio, is a frightening film full of twists and turns that presents a highly dramatized depiction of mental health and psychiatric treatment. It fulfills a checklist of the classic elements of Hollywood’s psychological horror genre: foreboding asylums, psychiatric experimentation, dangerous mental afflictions, multiple personalities, intense hallucinations, and even lobotomy. The media’s portrayal of psychiatric disorders and treatment is an important contributor to the continued stigmatization of mental illness in our society. This paper will analyze which aspects of Shutter Island portray
Social Scientists say that the average American watches too much television and plays too many video games. I would agree with this, because in high school that is all I did, but not so much for me anymore. Back when I was in high school that is all I did. Watch television, play Nintendo, hang out with my friends. However, now that I am in college, I have had to change my ways. It helps a lot that I don't have either one of those in my dorms.