BigScreen

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 aRead More →