By Kenya Sykes
The way mental illness is portrayed on television and in movies can have a deep impact on how people think about what may be a sensitive subject, as well as can harm people who live with mental illness. “I think television does a pretty poor job representing mental illness in a non-stigmatizing way,” said Gisela Telis, an Emmy award-winning mental health reporter for Arizona Public Media who has focused much of her career on covering mental health. The portrayal of mental illness in popular culture gained wide attention with “13 Reasons Why,” a popular drama on Netflix, based on a 2007 book, viewed by teenagers across the U.S. The show’s main character, Hannah Baker, is a fictional high school student who suffers from depression and eventually ends up taking her life. Before her death, she records 13 cassette tapes explaining the 13 reasons why she commits suicide. The show includes heartbreak, trauma, bullying, sexual assault and a graphic suicide scene. | Victoria Grijalva |
While “13 Reasons Why” was a huge hit, the show has faced criticism for romanticizing mental illness. Media representation of mental illness typically creates “more negative than positive effects,” according to Otto F. Wahl in a 2012 journal article in Trends in Cognitive Sciences.
An inaccurate representation of mental illness in the media has negative effects on impressionable audiences, Telis said.
An inaccurate representation of mental illness in the media has negative effects on impressionable audiences, Telis said.
In 2017 San Diego State researcher John W. Ayers and his coauthors analyzed internet searches after the first season of “13 Reasons Why.” They reported their findings in the Journal of the American Medical Association, reporting that they found online search topics relating to “how to commit suicide” went up by an alarming 30 percent.
Casual stereotypes or misinformation can be harmful for audience members with no background knowledge on mental illnesses. In addition to further disseminating inaccurate images to the unaware, poor representation of mental illness can be disturbing for those who are afflicted with illnesses.
Victoria “Vicky” Westover, director of the University of Arizona’s Hanson FilmTV Institute, said “commercial” TV shows and films do not always make a priority of depicting some groups of people and their real condition with accuracy and precision.
“Hollywood is in the business of entertaining,” she said. The lack of research and deep knowledge of mental illnesses often is not important because the shows need drama and something that will grab people’s attention, no matter how exaggerated or false it is, she continued.
According to Westover, the way best to get an accurate representation of mental illness would be from a documentary. However, she said, “Documentaries aren’t necessarily accurate” because they often are made to entertain also.
Telis’ documentary “Not Broken” is considered a model in the area of mental illness coverage because the film represents people with mental illnesses accurately, showing that they can still achieve their goals and can have successful, meaningful lives.
The one-hour documentary is about a diverse group of young adults who share their personal stories of struggling with mental health. The documentary features people of different incomes, races, ethnicities and sexual orientation, as well as people who are survivors of emotional, sexual and physical abuse.
Telis said that she “had to fight” for a diverse cast so that the audience can see an accurate representation of how mental illness is something that can affect anyone.
The film shows that people afflicted with mental illnesses have their hard moments in life, but they amount to much more than their illnesses.
Television’s incorrect portrayal of mental illness not only hurts its impressionable audiences, but it also potentially hurts any viewers who have a mental illness.
“These (inaccurate) portrayals can hurt our self-esteem, make us less likely to seek out help, and even make it less likely that we’ll stick with treatment,” she said.
Positive representations of mental illness on television have the ability to “break down stigma and challenge stereotypes,” she said.
When the audience becomes educated on the facts about mental illness, they begin to see that recovery and improvement are possible.
For more information or help: National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (free and confidential), 1-800-273-8255; www. mentalhealthamerica.net, 1-800-985-5990; or text “TalkWithUs” to 66746 to get in contact with trained crisis workers who can direct you to resources.
Casual stereotypes or misinformation can be harmful for audience members with no background knowledge on mental illnesses. In addition to further disseminating inaccurate images to the unaware, poor representation of mental illness can be disturbing for those who are afflicted with illnesses.
Victoria “Vicky” Westover, director of the University of Arizona’s Hanson FilmTV Institute, said “commercial” TV shows and films do not always make a priority of depicting some groups of people and their real condition with accuracy and precision.
“Hollywood is in the business of entertaining,” she said. The lack of research and deep knowledge of mental illnesses often is not important because the shows need drama and something that will grab people’s attention, no matter how exaggerated or false it is, she continued.
According to Westover, the way best to get an accurate representation of mental illness would be from a documentary. However, she said, “Documentaries aren’t necessarily accurate” because they often are made to entertain also.
Telis’ documentary “Not Broken” is considered a model in the area of mental illness coverage because the film represents people with mental illnesses accurately, showing that they can still achieve their goals and can have successful, meaningful lives.
The one-hour documentary is about a diverse group of young adults who share their personal stories of struggling with mental health. The documentary features people of different incomes, races, ethnicities and sexual orientation, as well as people who are survivors of emotional, sexual and physical abuse.
Telis said that she “had to fight” for a diverse cast so that the audience can see an accurate representation of how mental illness is something that can affect anyone.
The film shows that people afflicted with mental illnesses have their hard moments in life, but they amount to much more than their illnesses.
Television’s incorrect portrayal of mental illness not only hurts its impressionable audiences, but it also potentially hurts any viewers who have a mental illness.
“These (inaccurate) portrayals can hurt our self-esteem, make us less likely to seek out help, and even make it less likely that we’ll stick with treatment,” she said.
Positive representations of mental illness on television have the ability to “break down stigma and challenge stereotypes,” she said.
When the audience becomes educated on the facts about mental illness, they begin to see that recovery and improvement are possible.
For more information or help: National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (free and confidential), 1-800-273-8255; www. mentalhealthamerica.net, 1-800-985-5990; or text “TalkWithUs” to 66746 to get in contact with trained crisis workers who can direct you to resources.