Kendra Connock
Images of mentally ill people in films often fall into the stereotypes of maniacal and hysterical people who cannot be controlled; thus, feeding into the stigmas which exist around serious mental illnesses. Time to Change, a mental illness advocacy group, undertook a survey of more than 2000 members of the public to assess their attitudes towards mental illness as a result of their media exposure. When asked what characteristics define film characters with mental illnesses, the top three answers were “violent” (39%); “weird” (35%), and “likely to kill violently” (30%). Films often look to depictions of mental illness to engage audiences with a dramatic storyline of drama and conflict, resulting in false beliefs and stereotypes regarding the realities of living with a mental illness.
Mental illness and related issues have proven to create a conflict of interest in films for decades and, in an attempt to entertain audiences, filmmakers often turn to inaccurate portrayals of mental illnesses. A Beautiful Mind (2001) and Shutter Island (2010) are both popular films which depict schizophrenic protagonists. Both films feature instances of violence inflicted on others, as well as self-inflicted violence which seems to communicate a message that people diagnosed with schizophrenia are more violent than those who are not.
The stereotype perpetrated by films like these are completely inaccurate; in reality, schizophrenia usually does not lead to violence (in complete contradiction to what these films have suggested). Portrayals like these feed into the widely accepted stereotypes that mentally ill people are particularly volatile and violent but, in the US, only about 4% of violence can actually be traced to mental health problems. A professor at the University of North Carolina examined how mental illness is portrayed in visual media. He found that characters with mental illnesses were ten times more likely to commit a violent crime than other characters, and ten to twenty times more likely to commit a violent crime than someone with a mental illness in real life.
“Mental illness and related issues have proven to create a conflict of interest in films for decades“
Another common misconception about mental illness which is perpetuated by portrayals in mainstream media is the belief that mental health disorders are all the same, and that they are all extreme. For the sake of entertainment, mental illness is depicted as an amalgamation of psychotic symptoms never really distinguishable as any particular mental illness. The majority of people who experience mental health issues do not experience the extreme symptoms depicted in films.
Similarly, most films focus on severe cases of serious illnesses such as bipolar disorder and schizophrenia but fail to pay attention to the most common mental health issues, experienced by many people in real life. In South Africa, the most common mental health issue which people suffer from is a major depressive disorder. Nonetheless, when we turn on the TV, we don’t see people grappling with this reality, instead, we see sensationalised depictions of mental illness; exploited in the name of entertainment.
Films like One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest instil an image in our minds where mental health care facilities are haunted buildings where archaic and unethical treatments are used on patients who are trapped there. Studies showed negative attitudes toward mental illness, and the hospitalised treatment thereof increased following the release of the 1975 Oscar-winning film. In fact, the media portrayal of mental health treatment in itself proves to be problematic as it skews our perceptions of exactly how mental illnesses are effectively treated. According to movies, mental illnesses are treated in dingy buildings with long, dark hallways and patients are treated with brutal electroconvulsive therapy or other archaic forms of psychiatric treatment.
Often the patients in these fictional facilities are trapped and never really receive effective treatment or actually reach some semblance of healing. In reality, patients with severe mental illnesses may seek treatment in psychiatric facilities, but there are pharmaceutical and therapeutic treatment options available to people who seek healing for their mental ailments. Treatment for mental health issues can be effective, and it doesn’t have to be administered in a dungeon-like mental asylum, the likes of which we see in the movies. In reality, there is always hope for healing and recovery.
Few individuals with serious mental illnesses feel comfortable disclosing their mental health status, as stigmas drive healthy discussion into the ground. With mass media actively contributing to the negative stereotypes which exist around mental illness, it doesn’t seem likely that this will change any time soon. The Screening Madness report identifies popular films as a “reservoir of prejudice, ignorance, and fear that perpetuates damaging stereotypes of people with mental health problems”.
Peter Byrne suggested in 2009 that “there are no mental health films, only mental illness ones”, but perhaps that is no longer true. The landscape of mental illness is slowly changing within the mainstream media, as characters with mental health issues are no longer only seen as the villains or the undesirables; but are now being portrayed as normal people living everyday lives. Charlie Covell, writer of the teen series The End of the F***ing World says “mental illness is such a huge part of the human condition. To not depict it onscreen would be to miss out on a massive subject, which affects people on a daily basis”. Good Will Hunting starring Matt Damon and the late Robin Williams puts the focus on psychotherapy as a treatment for depression.
2012’s Silver Linings Playbook was a breakthrough for the film industry as it showed protagonists in the midst of the mess and the hard work of healing as well as the journey towards recovery. In 2019, a psychological thriller hit the big screens that made severe mental illness the topic on everyone’s lips. Joaquin Phoenix brought DC’s troubled villain Arthur Fleck new dimension as he threw his immense acting skills into portraying the Joker. The film focuses heavily on the Joker’s mental state, making it a topic impossible to avoid for anyone who watches the movie; but unfortunately, it plays into nearly every false stereotype audiences usually believe about people with mental illnesses.
“Few individuals with serious mental illnesses feel comfortable disclosing their mental health status, as stigmas drive healthy discussion into the ground.“
The Joker is maniacal, unpredictable, and prone to extreme violence. Where the movie goes wrong is in its typical Hollywood depiction of the “mad man” as opposed to the “completely normal person suffering from a mental illness”. Like many other films, Joker fell into the trap of sensationalism and opted for a hyperbolic portrayal of mental illness in the interest of producing good entertainment. To the film’s credit, it touches on the budget cuts for mental health facilities and social workers that US President Reagan instituted, and the serious and adverse effects it had on people in the United States who needed help.
On-screen portrayals are generally negative and have a cumulative effect on the public’s perception of people with mental illness. The likelihood of people with mental health issues disclosing their struggles and seeking the appropriate help is unlikely. There is a desperate need for the mental health sector and media industries to collaborate and counter the negative portrayal of mental illness.
Hollywood is fuelled by what consumers want if a new culture of compassion and communication regarding mental health issues starts with the consumers; Hollywood is bound to follow. In his acceptance speech for the Oscar for Best Actor, Joaquin Phoenix quoted his late brother; the words written by the then-17-year-old River Phoenix should be a reminder to us all that change starts with us.
“Run to the rescue with love, and peace will follow…”
Image: Cletus Mulaudi
I’m Kendra! Coffee addict, cat lover, postgrad student. Usually found reading, napping, or doodling.