Not according to Huffington Post writer Justin DeMoss, who takes issue with the portrayal of individuals with mental health issues in television. In his recent Huffington Post article, “Combating the Stigma of Mental Illness,” DeMoss writes, “One study found that, while half of the instances involving individuals with mental health issues were sympathetic, the majority of references to mental health — 63 percent — were either dismissive or negative. Other television portrayals were actively feeding into and reinforcing existing social stigma.”
The information cacophony would have Hippocrates rolling over in his grave. Here are some common themes seen in the media:
People are walking time bombs.
Any click on a news website could give this impression. Atrocities are committed everyday and we have almost unlimited access to hearing about them. Truth is, atrocities have been committed since the beginning of time. One could argue humans haven’t drastically changed, the media has and now you know what is happening.
You can’t get better
A common perception is that anyone doing something you can’t understand, relate to, or process is crazy. That’s pretty far-fetched, but think about how many “crazy” people you have seen portrayed on popular television shows. How often do you see them get better, or even work toward getting help? DeMoss says the “negative perception of people experiencing mental illness is widespread. Despite the fact that the success rate for treatment of mental illness is as high as 80 percent in certain disorders, many people will avoid seeking help for fear of being labeled as crazy.”
Getting help is for the weak (or just plain crazy)
In an April 2, 2015 New Yorker article, Gary Greenberg discusses the cold-hard facts: nearly one in three Americans meets the criteria for a mental disorder diagnosis in any year, and more than half of us will qualify at some point in our lives. Once diagnosed, he says, “people with mental illnesses, even severe psychotic disorders like schizophrenia, do not commit violent crimes at higher rates than the rest of the population. And most people who have had suicidal thoughts do not go on to kill themselves, let alone a planeload of strangers.”
So if one in three Americans deal with some type of mental disorder, why does the stigma linger? The segmented view of mental illness helps perpetuate the myths and fear. Our fast-paced society does not promote understanding feelings, introspection or a general sense of peace. Throw in societal shame, and you have a nation that often doesn’t consider mental health treatment an option.
For anyone who is not in the brain business, there is so much to learn and many sources from which to glean information. The question is – are people learning from educated, well-rounded sources? If they stick with the media, Americans may be picking and choosing the loudest, flashiest, most frequently shown information, and avoiding the people who are really in the know.
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By Melissa Baysinger