Mental health in the media and public perception
Yo guys, Scoobeh here.
As a Psychology student I was wondering if any of you feel - as I do at times - that mental health and abnormality is often under-represented or mis-represented in the media (whether it be on TV, in film, games, or books). I find it surprising (and worrying) how public perception of mental disorders (like schizophrenia for example) is often so very far from the truth, and I can't help but think to blame the fictional characters associated with these conditions that are presented to us in the media. Let me know what you guys think, and if you can provide any examples of when you might have noticed this.
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I don't know bad representations of mental diseases in stories, but I do know an excellent one:
Negan from The Walking Dead has APSD:
Failure to conform to social norms with respect to lawful behaviors as indicated by repeatedly performing acts that are grounds for arrest. ✔
Deception, as indicated by repeatedly lying, use of aliases, or conning others for personal profit or pleasure. ✔
Impulsivity or failure to plan ahead. ✔
Irritability and aggressiveness, as indicated by repeated physical fights or assaults. ✔
Reckless disregard for safety of self or others. ✔
Consistent irresponsibility, as indicated by repeated failure to sustain consistent work behavior or honor financial obligations. ✔
Lack of remorse, as indicated by being indifferent to or rationalizing having hurt, mistreated, or stolen from another. ✔
I also think he has Bipolar disorder, given from his cheerful/murderous mood swings. Negan's main personality trait is his unpredictability, rapid mood-swings and temper, people experiencing Manic episodes would show similar traits:
And the most obvious of his cases - Objectophilia:
I guess I was more referring to representation of how other characters respond to those with a mental disorder (not disease, that implies you can catch something like depression or bipolar disorder). I can think of an example of a character who was clearly suffering from depression in a TV programme recently (I don't know the exact name of it), and while the character themselves seemed to me like a fair representation of this state of mind, it was the way the other characters responded to him that I didn't appreciate at all. They pretty much ignored or dismissed him most of the time, nobody showed any sign of concern for him or advised him to seek professional help - and several characters even went as far as to joke spitefully about his behaviour.
If this is the kind of thing people with a mental disorder (using the example of depression again as it is without a doubt the most common) who are considering seeking help from friends or colleagues are seeing, it is clearly going to enforce what they probably already feel; embarrassment, shame, and anxiety about their condition. In my opinion the media should be promoting more positive and encouraging attitudes to mental disorders, not ones that potentially make the general public even more ignorant and shame those who are suffering in silence to continue to do so.
As a Psychology student, you probably notice this more than most. Media wants to appeal to the masses, and the way it does that in terms of mental disorders is to portray them as either "dangerous" or "funny." They do that for every other topic, too, though, so we're all used to it by now.
The thing is mental health is the masses - mental disorders are far more common than most people believe.
Well, I guess if you want to get into the medical terms, then yes they aren't diseases :P
Oh, I don't have an example for that, that's kind of specific. Also, I think it's kind of hard to not be ignorant about most mental disorders, and I think that most TV shows won't change their script to make it more realistic and present the disorders more accuratly if another way of presenting the illnesses fits better in the plot/makes it funnier... If I get something wrong, then a "sorry" should suffice, it does suffice when people misinterpret what OCD is and I correct them. That's my opinion.
My grandma had schizophrenia, and because of the fact that it was misunderstood and even feared by society (especially in the time when they got married in the 1940's to when my mom and her brothers were growing up in the 1950's and 1960's), my grandmother and grandfather hid it from everyone, even their kids.
This made it hard for my mom and me when we became caretakers of her in the mid 2000's, since it was something that even my mom didn't know about her, so it made it hard for my mom at first to realize that she couldn't just snap her out of it when her schizophrenia became severe. After several years of taking care of her, we both came to understand it a lot better. Alzheimer's as well, since my grandfather had that, and we had no idea how debilitating of a disease it is since media focuses on the forgetful aspect (a lot of times for humor) and doesn't get into the fact that people with Alzheimer's, especially in later stages, don't even have the ability to do simple things and often run from their caretakers since they don't even know them. Even the nurses thought we were abusing him when he snuck out of the house and took my car (which was a really scary moment, but luckily he only took the back roads and ran out of fuel since the tank was almost empty, so no one was hurt), as the disease is so misunderstood.
Is it acceptable for a script to take the piss out of people with physical conditions? I'm pretty sure the majority would be horrified if that subject matter was treated in the way that this is sometimes. I just think it would really help general public perception of mental disorders if the media took this subject matter more seriously, particularly as a lot of people with mental disorders already feel reluctant to seek help and advice in order to improve. If public perception was more accurate, perhaps people wouldn't feel so ashamed to come forward and admit that they could benefit from talking to someone.
That story of your own personal experience is really harrowing - thank you for sharing it. I'm lucky enough to say that I've never had personal experience of being a witness to a family member with a degenerative condition like that, but I do feel frustrated on behalf of people who have about the lack of awareness and the prevalence of ignorance and misinformation about this.
I think it's almost a taboo subject matter - mainly because it scares people (especially if they don't have a great level of understanding), people often become wary of what they don't understand. I think more could be done to change that.
What APSD? Do you mean ASPD (Anti-Social Personality Disorder)? Because that shows one of the major problems with the DSM - The APA states in its premise that the diagnosis of mental disorders can not be a matter of a conflict between the individual and society, and yet if 'Failure to conform to social norms with respect to lawful behaviors as indicated by repeatedly performing acts that are grounds for arrest' is listed among the symptoms, than that is clearly in violation of that premise. In fact, every part of that criteria is predicated on the individual's interaction with society.
Honestly, I think the APA has become somewhat dangerous.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uIyy9TW3ZCQ
Some shows get it right and inspire tho
I use to have ocd I was going through a very tough time in my life
I saw this episode of scrubs basically a genius doctor everyone was jealous of because he was the best at his job struggled with OCD
Just beautifully portrayed and inspiring that even he could struggle with that mental illness and instead of mocking him or his illness when it seemed so easy for him to stop to the naked eye they showed him great affection for his struggles and showed that anyone can be affected by it for a comedy too is just so heart felt
It inspired me to beat my ocd and I did I no longer have it
That's a good point - the 'deviation from social norms' approach to abnormality is very flawed.
If you're a student, can you go online to medical journals? If you can, I really recommend reading articles by Jerome Wakefield; he's a researcher at NYU and he writes a lot about nosology and the tension between medicine and societal expedience in the DSM. They're usually only 20 odd pages a pop so I really recommend it. One read of his I found particularly interesting, and it goes into this issue here, was in the International Journal of Law and Psychiatry, titled "DSM-5 proposed diagnositic criteria for sexual paraphilias: Tensions between diagnostic validity and forensic utility" (2011 no. 34).
I'm so glad you put that clip from Scrubs. When I saw the post, I instantly thought of Michael J. Fox's character in Scrubs. It's really more than just a comedy, with honest lessons and heartbreaking moments as well, and his depiction of the illness is just one moment out of so many good ones that show had.
First of all - it's great to hear that your OCD has improved, it must've been tough to deal with but you persevered with it nonetheless - respect. Second, it's awesome that you were inspired by seeing a character coming to terms with the same condition, this is definitely what there needs to be more of in the media. More representations like this could help a lot of people come forward and open up about issues that they struggle with on a daily basis, but do not feel confident enough to admit it. People need to know that there is no shame in seeing a psychotherapist or a counsellor, and that all the people around them want to do is help in any way that they can.
Thanks so much for the recommendation - I'll be sure to check these out soon!
One of the best shows ever made :')
Thanks and I 100% agree great thread btw
Public perception, it's worse when it's family. I've got agoraphobia, although for years I didn't know it had a name or how rooted it was in my life until I passed my driving test and I realized I still didn't feel comfortable going anywhere by myself. In fact, I haven't driven in months thanks to my Mom exploding in anger at me a couple times while I was behind the wheel, resulting in severe panick attacks and making me lose my confidence further that I no longer trust myself behind the wheel. I am scared of driving and I can't bring myself to even call up for lessons at the moment.
On the plus side though I have been trying to get out more with walking the dogs, and I have started taking the bus into town, something that would've been a nightmare to even think about before and family has been more supportive after I got them more informed on it. But in terms of distance, I still get stressed, because I do have that inner fear of winding up stranded somewhere. Like trains, I want to tackle trains next, but I get freaked that I'll stop off somewhere and I won't be able to get back and I'll call my family up and be like 'I don't know where I aaaam! ;_; send cookies!'
Luckily I've not had to deal with stigma from other than from before with family. Usually I just say I've got anxiety and people seem to get it. Although sometimes I think it gets mistaken for a form of shyness. Although one thing I have learned is that therapist suck.
You diagnosed the problem and you are actively trying to overcome it you are doing the best anyone can ask for, your family should be proud
Your mam should not pressure you like that it will only make you worse
That actually sounds awesome I want cookies :'D
I regularly have 5 hour trains journeys my first few times I had that fear but I handled it by getting complete control over my journey I'd find out how long does it takes? what stops are involved? where I'm I on my journey to my destination? how long till I'm there? make sure my phones battery is full etc
Try to get as much information as possible and it might help your anxiety
You can do it I remember you spoke of this before don't get frustrated just keep battling till you find the answer I promise you can beat this best of luck
It is, but I am trying to work my way through it x_x sadly it's not something I'll be cured from overnight.
Mom stresses out a lot, it's what she's known for. But she has been trying more lately, although the times before really didn't help me mentally
And damn I actually did that with the buses, I re-read through all the hours the bus stopped off and left the town station so I'd know them. Even made sure by asking the driver too XD I like planning like that. Helps me in feeling more prepared.
But I'll battle on, definitely.
Thank you Haymitch!
Me to with buses and great you can do it may the odds be ever in your favor
I can understand how you feel, I had my own issues i battled this year, and i got over most of them for now I try to avoid negativity, or toxic people, they will drain your chakra which you need to be happy/complete. I am a little into spiritualism, so i don't want to sound too cooky, but the best advice i can give anyone that is suffering through some hardship is to ask for help from whatever higher power you believe in it, it will help you.
Oh and don't let people take your power from you. I know its hard, but you can do it. If someone says something mean or insulting, don't take it to heart and deflect it, if you let people dictate to you how to feel, you will never be happy.
Thanks bro T.T I needed that.
I have no background in psychology, though I have suffered from depression.
I feel like mental disease would actually be a more helpful term to use for stuff like depression, bipolar disorder, or schizophrenia. The word disease does not mean that it is communicable as your post seems to imply. Most people would call cancer a disease. I like the word disease over disorder because it would help communicate the notion that mental conditions are medical problems. One of the biggest problems I've run into is people discouraging me from seeking help. A ton of people mistakenly believe that it's easy to snap out of depression on your own, or that taking medication is a bad thing.
Again, I have no formal training (other than an intro psychology course). Is there any reason "disease" is an unacceptable term? Here's the Google definition of it:
Seems applicable to depression to me.
Well I can't really remember having seen mental illness presented in pop culture or media as a negative thing, apart from how people say, "You're crazy! all the time like it's a bad thing. More often than not, mental issues are under-represented like the OP said, and just not touched upon at all, as it's a taboo subject. It's considered taboo (at least for most cultures, not sure about all of them) for people to talk about or go get help for their mental issues, as people often feel that to do so is a show of weakness, or giving in, of not being strong enough or some other bullshit. The thing is, we've all been taught this from a young age, so it doesn't seem like bullshit to us, even if it should be. (Not to mention, I think it takes more courage to stand up and expose yourself in such a vulnerable way and to ask for help for something so personal, rather than to not.)
One place I've found this invisibility of mental issues to be rather relevant is actually not pop-culture media but rather in social media--Facebook, specifically. I don't really use it anymore, and I know a lot of others don't really, because, as one of my friends so eloquently (and sarcastically) put it, "Facebook is for presenting the best aspects of your life to make you look really cool," and, for some, it's not used for showing when you're not doing well. I remember in the earlier years of the site, people used to post statuses about how they were feeling depressed, or not so happy about things, and these people would always be labelled as "emo" for sharing their thoughts across a network like that. Which is fair; it's probably best to speak one-on-one to friends about those matters. But the result is that it seems the majority of those statuses have disappeared, and Facebook looks like it's full of happy smiling people with happy fulfilling lives, and it seems there's no room for severe unhappiness like depression or mental health issues. Hence why I personally don't like using it anymore, because all I see are perfect people achieving perfect things while it seems that I'm stuck in a rut, and it seems that I'm the only one that is stuck, even though I know that's not true. Part of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (used for depression and other mental issues) has to do with recognizing unrealistic negative thoughts and rectifying them so they are more realistic and more positive. This is great, but I think it has to be executed properly. It may be that society (and also Facebook) has simplified (and misinterpreted) this and now wrongly thinks, "If you act happy, then you'll be happy," (and so anything negative at all is bad) but that's not how emotions work lol, and why Facebook seems so unrealistic and (ironically) depressing to me.
On a separate note, I actually am looking forward to seeing how that Pixar movie, "Inside Out," turns out, which seems like it'll deal with mental issues in a children's movie, of all things. If it's written well, and if the story works, then I feel that it could very well be a groundbreaking movie, not just for children's movies, but for all movies, in how it could address mental health.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-kArxASiw3Y
I actually very strongly disagree. We certainly do need to encourage people to be more understanding of mental conditions such as depression, but referring to it as a disease often allows people to foreswear any sense of social responsibility. People think it is something you 'catch' as opposed to a social or cognitive problem. There are people with biological dysfunction, where their mental problems have absolutely no bearing whatsoever on how they are living or their overall attitude, but I think, especially in the case of something like depression, a lot of issues are either 'problems of living' or cognitive issues (IE - allowing ruminations to spiral down from 'I made a mistake' to 'this person won't like me' to 'no one will like me,' to 'I will never be loved and I might as well kill myself.) My main point, is that the disease model is used to foreswear social responsibility - the political or economic environment is no longer considered, how we treat each other is no longer considered, "it's a disease," "it's a chemical imbalance," basically it's something that 'just happens,' and therefore people don't need to ask any further questions. The most trite but true example, if depression were a disease, psychotherapy would be unnecessary. Simply give somebody a pill to correct the imbalance, talking to them about how they grew up or what problems they are facing would be useless, since it is 'just a disease.'
I can go on and on about this, but one study I have (full disclosure, I haven't had a chance to read it, this is the abstract) states "Results showed that chemical imbalance test feedback failed to reduce self-blame, elicited worse prognostic pessimism and negative mood regulation expectancies, and led participants to view pharmacotherapy as more credible and effective than psychotherapy. The present findings add to a growing literature highlighting the unhelpful and potentially iatrogenic effects of attributing depressive symptoms to a chemical imbalance. Clinical and social implications of these findings are also discussed." - Kemp et al. "Effects of a Chemical Imbalance Causal Explanation on Individuals' Perceptions of their Depressive Symptoms," Behaviour Research and Therapy, 56 (2014).
Maybe I just don't think of the word "disease" like the general public does. A big factor in heart disease is lifestyle. But a big part of treating it is getting the patient in shape and improving their diet. Just like depression, you don't get to just take a pill and move on. I'm not advocating ignoring the lifestyle and cognitive risk factors. I'm just saying that there are many diseases that also have lifestyle components, and I'm wondering what you think makes mental illness different. Or do you think we should stop calling Type 2 Diabetes a disease?
Anyways, we can agree that a balanced approach is needed, right? In my own experience, I resisted taking medication for a while, and when I finally relented, therapy became much more effective. I wish that I had just agreed to take meds to begin with. It would have saved me a lot of time and reduced the amount of therapy sessions, saving me money. Speaking of which, I suspect that insurance companies would be more willing to cover therapy if depression was viewed as more of a medical condition, but that's just speculation on my part. My meds were always covered, but therapy wasn't.
Thank you for being a part of it ^_^
On the whole, I pretty much agree with you. The problem is that we're dealing on a number of levels - public policy (insurance), public perception, and scientific integrity. Psychology has often struggled between the medical model and the humanist model of mental illness. I mentioned him elsewhere in this thread, but Jerome Wakefield advocates the medical model as demedicalizing psychology gives ample room to anti-psychologists who decry any psychiatric involvement as social engineering. Social engineering is a real danger with psychology, but its important not the throw the baby out with the bath water. I don't even thing the medical model is forcefully necessary - we consider social workers to be a valid profession meant to do good yet we don't consider all of their actions medical, especially as a lot of therapists aren't MDs but LCSWs. Personally, I make the distinction between the purely neurological and the 'biopsychosocial' as described by Gabbard. If depression were purely biological, talk therapy wouldn't work, if it were purely cognitive, medication wouldn't work.
I agree insurance is a major problem, and that's where another one of the contradictions of the APA comes in - for instance, being a transsexual is no longer considered a mental disorder by the APA; however with the release of the DSM-5 Gender Identity Disorder was changed to Gender Dysphoria. While I agree with the change, one of the APA's stated reasons for not simply eliminating the disorder, as they had with 'ego-dystonic homosexuality,' was to ensure insurance coverage. That is certainly a laudable effort, but it simply is not a scientific one.
By the way, if you don't mind me asking, what country are you from? I know in the United States, mental problems are often covered by insurance, whereas where I live in Korea, you can be ineligible for solely physical insurance if you have concurrent mental problems.
I agree lifestyle certainly makes a large difference, my main point is that in treating it as a disease is too often used as an excuse to deny social responsibility - since the recession there has been a marked increase in depression, yet people refuse to connect the social and political environment to the medical one. Even worse, they treat social and economic problems as medical problems so they don't have to do anything in regards to the others. You're correct that mental disorders are often a mix, and I think an even more poignant example than diabetes would be a disease like samonella - it obviously affects the individual, and a strong immune system might fight it off by itself, but how prevalent it is depends largely on water/food contamination. The problem is that nowadays if salmonella were treated like a mental disorder, people would refuse to make sure our eggs and chickens were safe.