Stigma About Mental Illness Portrayed in the Media
There are two types of stigmas: social stigma and self stigma. As characterized by the Integrative Life Center, social stigma describes the disapproval or discrimination against a person based on their characteristics, while self stigma describes the process by which those with a mental health disorder perceive public stigma, internalize it, and then apply it to themselves (Integrative Life Center, 2020). Stigma has a trickle down effect when people internalize what they see portrayed in the media. This is incredibly harmful when most of the media we see - whether it’s news, film, or television - portrays mental illness completely inaccurately. In studying stigmatization of mental illness in society, researchers actually use newspaper articles as a proxy metric for their data (Saleh, 2020). Stigma against mental illness is so entwined with the media that it is difficult to make progress in the name of mental health care. In this blog series, we will discuss how the media’s continued spread of misinformation and dramatization surrounding mental illness harms those who struggle, as well as discuss how things have changed over time.
In regards to stigma due to misinformation in the media, the examples are pretty much endless. One recent example, though, and one that struck up a lot of controversy, is the movie Joker (2019). In this film, the main character becomes violent in response to his failing mental health. The association of violence with mental illness is incredibly harmful because it can erode support for policies that would help those with mental illness - community integration, for example (Scarf et al., 2020). In a recent study comparing reactions to viewing the films Joker versus Terminator, it was concluded that those who watched Joker were more likely to be prejudiced against those with mental illness (Scarf et al., 2020). Besides this social stigma, this kind of representation can also increase self-stigma, which can severely delay help-seeking for those who may otherwise be open to receiving professional care.
Besides consumers learning to view those with mental illnesses as harmful and dangerous, other types of portrayals also add to misinformation and perpetuation of stigma. Mental illnesses can also be trivialized or oversimplified in the media. In regards to trivialization, anorexia nervosa is often portrayed as less severe than it really is. In depicting it as a choice, or surface-level characterization, the real consequences are often hidden. In the mental health field, we know that anorexia is one of the most dangerous and deadly illnesses from which one can suffer. But, unfortunately, most peoples’ knowledge of mental health is mostly/only based on what they see in the media. An example of this is the character Cassie from hit British series Skins (2007). Skins is a raunchy show which follows a group of teens in the UK who all have dysfunctional lives and struggle in different ways. Cassie’s character openly suffers from anorexia, but despite the show being a drama, and her character having major life-threatening issues, the show never really explains why she suffers from mental illness. On top of this, her mental illness is used as nothing more, really, than a defining character quirk which makes her entertaining, reckless, and, according to the other characters on the show, “crazy”.
Upon doing my research to create this blog post, I stumbled upon a YouTube video titled “Top Ten Characters with OCD in Film and Media” by gossip channel WatchMojo. After reading only the title, and having some knowledge about the channel from which it was posted, I knew that this was not going to be an informative video about accurate representations of mental health in the media. After going through all of their extremely uninformed examples of famous characters “with OCD”, one stood out to me the most. The character Monica Geller from cultural phenomenon TV series Friends is a beloved, quirky, funny character who could be defined as a “neat freak” and certainly has obsessions with cleanliness. But, the way this YouTube video described her gave an extremely simplified, inaccurate description of a very serious mental illness. The narrator of the video describes her as “obsessively clean”, labeling her tendencies as “endearing”. To say that Obsessive Compulsive Disorder is when someone is “obsessively clean” is extremely problematic as it minimizes and completely overlooks obsessive thoughts that drive such compulsive behaviors (Saleh, 2020). The top comment on the video states “Ocd is more than cleaning and organizing. I wish there were more movies and shows on the intrusive thoughts side of ocd, which I tend to suffer with the most”. Not only does this video completely ignore this vital part of the disorder, but it is often used as a cheap punchline, just like Cassie from Skins. It is so important that when we consume media, we do so with a critical eye. Stumbling upon misinformation is inevitable, but internalizing it and believing it is a choice. In the next post, we will discuss the implications and effects of stigma.
References
Saleh, N. (2020). How mental health issues are damaged by mass media. Verywell Mind. https://www.verywellmind.com/mental-health-stigmas-in-mass-media-4153888.
WatchMojo. (2015). Top 10 Characters with Ocd in Film and Tv. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=07-oawGxLQc
Integrative Life Center. (2020). Media and the portrayal of mental illness disorders. Integrative Life Center. https://integrativelifecenter.com/wellness-blog/media-and-the-portrayal-of-mental-illness-disorders/
Scarf, D. Zimmerman, H. Winter, T. (2020). Association of Viewing the Films Joker or Terminator: Dark Fate With Prejudice Toward Individuals With Mental Illness. JAMA Netw Open. 3(4):e203423. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2020.3423