The Spread Of Mental Health Issues

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Approximately 26.2% of adults in the United States live with mental illness each year. That percentage translates to 57.7 million people in a population of 318.9 million, which leaves a large amount of society that may have no experience with the mentally handicapped. It is because of this that television, movies, and even the news cannot nor do not understand the truth behind mental health issues. This lack of knowledge has led to the spread of false information and images of various mental disorders. The result of these skewed representations is wide-spread misconceptions. The media needs to more accurately display the reality behind mental health issues because people are being given the wrong idea. The power the media has over peoples’ …show more content…

Fairly recently chain store Target released a sweater for the holidays that caused controversy for this exact reason. The clothing item read “OCD: Obsessive Christmas Disorder” which while intended to be humorous and light-hearted, for persons who are actually diagnosed with the very real OCD it served as another means of desensitizing the public to their disorder. On another front, television and/or movies often use characters that they portray as mentally handicapped or troubled as a form of comical relief in the series. While they achieve their goal of creating an individual that makes most viewers laugh, others see said characters as merely an inaccurate and offensive representation of afflictions such as ADHD and bipolar disorder, among others. Even though it may seem harmless to use mental illness as a form of entertainment, it can be the exact opposite for those folks with the serious diseases being …show more content…

Unfortunately most people are not able to first handedly encounter someone in their life with non-perfect mental health. This is the reason why stereotypes are the only knowledge had by many about mental disorders. Relating to those stereotypes, the media, mainly the sources of news, highlight the instances when mentally ill individuals act in a way that is drastic or extreme. Take James Holmes, the perpetrator of the Aurora, CO movie theater shooting, for example. This incident was national news when it occurred back in 2012, being covered by every big news reporting channel and website. During his trial, Holmes pleaded not guilty due to reason of mental illness. Pleas like those are then spread through the media, further pushing the public to associate mental health with those who act in irrational ways, such as criminals, when in reality the majority of the population that suffers from mental disorders are perfectly normal-functioning human beings. Instead of clarifying or making clear that not all affected by whatever ailment act in absurd ways, they continue to pump out stories about the complete extreme end of the spectrum. Consumers with no prior facts on the truth are lead to assume that actions like the ones felons commit are simply “the

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