Mental Health Awareness: Stigma in Media

            May is mental health awareness month and as I studied psychology for my undergraduate degree at university I felt it important to talk about mental health this month.  I am going to be citing some articles because I think it is important to give credit where credit is due. Also, I was taught in college that if you don’t cite your sources you will die…Just kidding, it’s worse, you will be expelled! (Okay, that might be a slight exaggeration). Honestly, seriously, though, citing sources is important, not to mention polite.

             There is a great deal of stigma that has been attached to the idea of mental illness, so much so that many people are hesitant to admit when they are experiencing mental health issues. While I love crime dramas, I must admit that they are some of the most damaging when it comes to perceptions about mental illness. While in the past decade more crime dramas have begun to give lip service to the idea that mental illness does not make one inherently criminal or violent towards other people, the choice of criminal offenders in these programs gives an entirely different message to the audience. A survey of television shows and movies have found that around 60 percent of characters with mental illness portrayed in the media are depicted as being involved with some form of crime or violent act (Parrot & Parrot, 2015).

             It may seem as though it is easy to brush aside such portrayals as not having a negative effect in the real world, considering these depictions are all fictional; however, even fictional negative depictions of concepts can affect people’s opinions on a topic. Media has a strong influence on individual’s attitudes and perceptions of concepts. For example, some research has found that even if the portrayal given in media is inaccurate, the information gained from media sticks in people’s minds to the point that many individuals believe what media tells them is true (Dill, 2009). This means that when people view these portrayals they often eventually come to accept the ideology they are being given and these negative concepts then become incorporated into people’s mental schemata, or mental characterization, of individuals with mental illnesses (Parrot & Parrot, 2015).

            Negative portrayals of mental illness perpetuate and create stereotypes about mental illness that shape the audience’s perception of people with mental illnesses. These stereotypes then shape people’s reactions and opinions towards individuals suffering from mental illnesses and creating prejudicial behaviors towards people with mental illnesses (Parrott & Parrott, 2015). Research has found that individuals who watch films or television shows that portray individuals with mental illnesses negatively, such as violent and unpredictable, held more negative attitudes concerning mental illness (Wahl & Lefkowits, 1989). Mental health professionals have long disparaged these portrayals as gross inaccuracies; however, the average American’s view of mental illness and the mentally ill is much closer to what the television portrays than what the professionals tell them. This is unsurprising considering the portrayal of mentally ill individuals on television is much more commonly heard unless one studies mental health concepts or works in the mental health field (Klin & Lemish, 2008).

           I think a crucial step in ending the stigma surrounding mental illness and the general uncomfortableness people feel when discussing mental health, is for people to simply talk about it more. It is important to be open and honest about mental health, instead of hiding our issues away. The simple fact is, pretending that your issues aren’t real isn’t going to make them go away; instead, it will probably make your problems worse. I understand that this is hard to do and in many cases potentially risky, but if we don’t start being more open about mental health, asking questions, and being honest about our issues then nothing is going to change.

          What do you think, what are some ideas you have about reducing the stigma surrounding mental illness? Does anyone have any mental health related topics they would like to discuss? If so, please leave a comment.

References

Dill, K.E. (2009). How fantasy becomes reality: Seeing through media influence, 5-30

Klin, A., & Lemish, D. (2008). Mental disorders stigma in the media: Review of studies on production, content, and influences.Journal of Health Communication, 13, 434-449.doi:10.1080/10810730802198813  

Parrott, S., & Parrott, C. T. (2015). Law & disorder: The portrayal of mental illness in U.S.crime dramas. Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media, 59(4), 640-657. doi:10.1080/08838151.2015.1093486

Wahl, O. F., & Yonatan Lefkowits, J. (1989). Impact of a television film on attitudes toward mental illness. American Journal of Community Psychology, 17(4), 521-528. doi:10.1007/BF00931176

Note: This is not an exhaustive list of articles discussing the portrayal of mental illness in media and the impact this portrayal has on the perception of mental illness within society. If you have any recommendations for articles I should take a look at, please leave a comment. Thank you!