Psychological Disorders On Screen
The mention of mental illness brings to mind the many portrayals seen in film and television, most of which are stigmatizing. In television shows such as Criminal Minds and Law and Order, the criminals are typically depicted as someone who suffers from some sort of a mental illness, whether it is an antisocial disorder or something that physically affects the brain. Crime dramas easily portray the mentally ill as serial killers or torturous psychopaths. The portrayals shaped by these television shows provide viewers with the idea that anyone who suffers from some sort of mental illness endures the same urges as those shown in crime dramas as well as horror movies. Even then, it is not just movies or television shows, it even moves over into news coverage with descriptions such as “mad man” or “psychopath”. It is the way to pull people in, even if it produces a stigma towards psychological disorders.
Negative Portrayals of Psychological Disorders in the Media
Today’s media spans across several mediums, including the Internet, television, and film. Psychological disorders are not an everyday topic but when they pop up in the news, it is usually never a good thing. Most often, the disorders are dismissed and the story is about a mad man or a psychopath. The negativity towards psychological illnesses created by the news in order to draw in viewers does not stop with the national news or what the public reads in the papers. The stigmatization runs over into the entertainment industry, where it heavily influences crime dramas such as Criminal Minds or horror movies like My Bloody Valentine. With crime dramas being a staple on most national television networks, the stigmatization comes very easily. Scott Parrott and Caroline T. Parrott explain, “when audience members encounter such inaccurate and negative information in television shows and movies, the experience may reinforce bias against people with mental illness and/or cultivate new negative associations concerning what it means to live with a mental illness” (as cited in Parrott, 2015, p. 640-641). With television shows portraying mental illnesses in such a way that gives the audience members the idea that mental disorders have the possibility to cause violent outbursts, the negative portrayal creates “subsequent prejudicial behavior in the real world” (as cited in Parrott, 2015, p. 641).
From crime dramas using mental illness as a cause for violence, the negative representations of mental illness bleed over into horror films where the directors use psychological disorders to create these sadists who torture and murder their victims. In the article “The Horror of Stigma”, Goodwin (2013) explains it is not surprising that people are ignorant to the realities of mental ill health, hold prejudices against, and discriminate against those experiencing mental ill health. Horror films not only depict the mentally ill in negative light, but also, in films such as The Ward, it creates the depiction that mental health care facilities are a frightening place, filled with violence and nurses who neglect their patients. Most often, the facility is used as a geographical boundary where escape is deemed necessary (Goodwin, 2013). Portrayals in horror films deliver its audience members reasons to feel as though the mentally ill are psychotic killers or delusional, further discriminating against those who suffer with mental illnesses. The discrimination does not just exist from the general public; it can cause those who suffer from psychological disorders to lose their jobs or their homes, based on misinformation and bias created from horror films and crime dramas.
Are These Portrayals Accurate?
In a majority of the films and television shows, their portrayals of mental illness are not accurate. With the depictions seen in crime dramas, the relationship between serious mental illness and violence is oversimplified while failing to mention that there is no causal relationship between schizophrenia and violence (as cited Parrott, 2015). With most films as well as television shows in which the psychologically ill are portrayed, it is in a negative light. Even if the eventual heroine, as seen in The Ward suffers from some form of psychosis, the depiction is still in a negative light. Most commonly, it is the antagonist, who suffers from a bout of psychosis. When the protagonist suffers from some form of psychological disorder, it could possibly change the outlook, as the protagonist is typically a somewhat relatable character in a certain aspect. Even then, the picture of mental illness painted by these films and movies still provides the audience with misinformation and further increases the stigma towards mental disorders.
Representation by Filmmakers and Television Directors
Directors and filmmakers take it upon themselves to represent the masses of mentally ill without even meaning to. The idea of a psychotic killer is something that appeals to an audience because of its entertainment value. Even in the news, broadcasters take one mentally ill human being and add the label “psycho”, and then it is quickly added to anyone who suffers from a mental illness. For example, the 2012 Aurora Shooting, James Holmes pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity. While Holmes suffers from schizophrenia, he is capable of telling right from wrong which legally disallows him from using the plea of insanity (USA Today, 2015). As soon as information of his mental illness was released to the public, due to misrepresentation provided by television shows and film, the public began grouping all mentally ill under the same umbrella as Holmes. Not only did Holmes suffer from some form of serious mental disorder, as did three others involved with three separate mass shootings that took place from 2007 to 2012. In a study done by McGinty, Webster, and Barry (2013), a story about a mass shooting heightened respondents’ negative attitudes toward persons with serious mental illness and raised support for gun restrictions for this group and for a ban on large-capacity magazines. The misinformation created by filmmakers and television directors does not stop there, it moves into non-fiction as well. News coverage of these events, as well as discussion of gun regulation policies in an effort to keep guns out of the hands of “dangerous persons” adds to the stigmatization that those who suffer from any sort of mental illness will lose their mind one day and become a violent monster.
Conclusion
The stigma of mental illnesses is something that is incredibly hard to see through for most people, due to the bias created from news coverage, film, and television. It is sometimes hard for the audience to understand that mental illness is not the main cause of violent mass shootings or that serial killers might not even suffer from any form of a psychological disorder. But after being handed misinformation through the entertainment industry as well as news coverage, those who live with mental illnesses are seen as someone who could go off the rails at any given moment. In all actuality, they are human beings. Whether they suffer from schizophrenia or bipolar disorder, it does not change who they are in the world. Filmmakers and television directors make a habit of placing them into a mold of what they want the audience to believe is mentally ill. A majority of those who live with some form of psychological disorder live day to day, like everyone else. All media outlets have made a habit out of framing all mass shootings or mass murders are associated with a mental illness and it is not always true. The media outlets gain an audience because of entertainment value of the idea that mental illness is the reason for a horrid event, whether it be films like Psycho or The Dark Knight or television shows like Criminal Minds or Law and Order.