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Research on media portrayal of mental illness research paper
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Oftentimes, the portrayal of mental illness in movies is skewed solely for cinematic purposes. However, careful examination of current evidence can better guide perceptions and accepted management of such illnesses. A focused comparison of schizophrenia as seen in evidence-based publications, current psychiatric care, and a motion picture film better reveals discrepancies and similarities in the representation of this illness. To begin, schizophrenia is the selected topic of focus for several reasons. Predominantly, schizophrenia is simply one of the more fascinating and interesting mental illnesses. An element of mystery encompasses this diagnosis as healthcare providers simply cannot see or hear the exact hallucinations that the patient …show more content…
The main character of K-Pax (Pollock & Softley, 2001) is depicted to be a calm, delusional schizophrenic patient who holds strong belief in being an alien from another planet. The patient often wanders and creates neologisms, though he is cleanly and appropriate. Clinically, the observed patient is agitated, has pressured speech, does not tend to personal hygiene, holds persecutory delusions, experiences dangerous command hallucinations, and responds to internal, auditory stimuli. The care provided to the patient in K-Pax (Pollock & Softley, 2001) resembles care encouraged clinically and in theory by the use of individual therapy with a psychiatrist, courtyard therapy, and milieu therapy. Also, the staff in K-Pax (Pollock & Softley, 2001) often encourages sleep and highly stresses the importance of family or other support systems in the management of psychosis. The patient observed clinically is noncompliant with the prescribed regimen of Haldol and Risperdol, whereas the patient in K-Pax (Pollock & Softley, 2001) willingly abided by treatment with Thorazine and Haldol. Another similarity noticed is the practice of least-restrictive treatment. Clinically, when the patient becomes agitated, staff begins with a verbal approach and proceeds to institute a behavioral approach. In K-Pax (Pollock & Softley, 2001), the patient progresses past requiring a behavioral approach to needing a chemical treatment. Some aspects of care in K-Pax (Pollock & Softley, 2001) did not align with care encouraged in theory or observed clinically. For example, the patient in K-Pax (Pollock & Softley, 2001) is often allowed to take a taxi to leave to unit. In one instance, the patient even spends an afternoon at the psychiatrist’s home for holiday celebrations. Actual patient care discourages discharge from the
During the mid-1900`s, mental illnesses were rarely discussed in mainstream media due to negative stigma surrounding mental illnesses. As a result, characters in film rarely had mental disorders because of the directors` worries of audiences` reactions to how the illnesses were portrayed. Director, Edward Dmytryk, however, attempted to diminish the stigma through his film Raintree County (1957) with Susanna Drake Shawnessy`s mental instability. Elizabeth Taylor`s portrayal of Susanna, however, heightened the stigma surrounding mental illness as Susanna constantly acted immature and childlike.
This paper will explore a video Case Study of Gerald who is diagnosed with Schizophrenia; in this film viewers are exposed to the reality of what it is like to live with this debilitating illness, and will explore different therapeutic ways to interact and help a patient like Gerald.
Madness: A History, a film by the Films Media Group, is the final installment of a five part series, Kill or Cure: A History of Medical Treatment. It presents a history of the medical science community and it’s relationship with those who suffer from mental illness. The program uses original manuscripts, photos, testimonials, and video footage from medical archives, detailing the historical progression of doctors and scientists’ understanding and treatment of mental illness. The film compares and contrasts the techniques utilized today, with the methods of the past. The film offers an often grim and disturbing recounting of the road we’ve taken from madness to illness.
To me, Schizophrenia is by far the most frightening disorders in the DSM. Snyder’s account of how he truly believed his delusions, specifically those surrounding the debilitating fear for his life, are hard to image. This presents a challenge for me as a counselor in empathizing with clients who are experiencing this. In reflecting on this dilemma, I came to realize that while I may not be able to understand the fear of my life being in danger, I can relate to the emotion of fear; this can be the connecting point for me to the client. Expressing sympathy is also another tool I have when I am unable to empathize with a client’s thoughts and emotions. Furthermore, Snyder’s narrative reinforced my notion of how insidious Schizophrenia can be. That is to say, that while in many cases this disorder may live traces of itself in childhood and adolescents, in some cases it occurs unexpectedly. Snyder details his normal childhood, including supportive parents, with little to no evidence of any sort of trauma or odd behavior; and yet he was still blindsided with the disease. I began to reflect particularly on how difficult this would be for clients experiencing these same circumstances. It will be essential for me as a counselor to recognize that
Mental illnesses are diseases that plague a being’s mind and corrupts one’s thoughts and feelings. Schizophrenia is one of the many disastrous illnesses that consume one’s life, is known as a real disease that deserves much attention. Experts believe that what causes the illness is a defect in the gene’s of the brain, and little signs of schizophrenia are shown until about one’s early adult years. Some effects of schizophrenia can either be negative or positive, but even if the effects could be either one, people should still be aware that there is something puzzling and alarming happening in the mind of a schizophrenic patient.
People are constantly bombarded with negative images of people with mental illness. In movies especially this is seen. Most horror movies are centered around a character with mental illness who goes unnoticed and performs horrible crimes because of their illness. People who are portrayed as being depressed, anxious, or compulsive in media are usually seen in a negative way, whereas the characters who are carefree and have no emotional problems are seen in a more positive way. Media is significantly adding to the stigma of mental health.
For the overall mental health culture, they way people perceive mental health needs to change in order to alleviate the stigma attached to the topic. As I read and listened to the film, movies play a large part in inflicting the fear that so many people have towards mentally ill people. Another example is news media and how they usually assume that the school shooter , mass muder, rapist or pedifile is mentally ill person causing harm to others. Besides, do you really need to be mentally ill to cause harm to others? I personally don’t believe that and I think anymore is capable of inflicting
This documentary, Voices (Hara, Tsai, 2014), an award-winning documentary film that was published in regards to schizophrenia. The documentary focused on three individuals who suffered schizophrenia. The documentary shows the emotional journeys of these three individuals before and after the onset of their mental illness. The first individual, Sharon a Vietnamese female, who suffered from schizophrenia. She began to hear voices and show signs of paranoia and depression when she moved to California. Sharon had a good family support that stood with her in her struggle with schizophrenia. The second individual, Thomas originally from Ohio, who lived in the street of San Francisco for the past 15 years. Thomas lost contact with his family. Thomas
Schizophrenia is often depicted in film and media, and because the media has a powerful impact on people, individuals must be careful not to base their views solely by what they see and hear in movies because information may be misrepresented for entertainment purposes. In the films The Soloist and A Beautiful Mind, schizophrenic disorders are illustrated through the protagonists. When comparing these films with scholarly sources, it is apparent that the films appropriately represent the clinical descriptions and symptoms of a schizophrenic disorder; however, the treatments for these disorders are misrepresented.
Schizophrenia is a disease that plagues many individuals today and though medications can help alleviate the symptoms there is no known cure for the illness. There are a multitude of representations of schizophrenia in the media. This paper will focus on A Beautiful Mind; a film that focuses on John Forbes Nash Jr. Nash was a mentally gifted individual. He attended Princeton and his mathematical work has changed society greatly. In the movie, Russell Crowe played John Nash in A Beautiful Mind. Throughout the movie Crowe did an amazing job depicting the multiple symptoms of schizophrenia. Within this paper I will focus on the positive symptoms, negative symptoms, positive hallucinations, effects of medication, and the time frame of the illness represented in the film.
Mental health and its disorders are an intricate part of the individual and society. Mental health incorporates our emotional, psychological and social well-being. Understanding human behavior and the social environment in conjunction with biological, social and cultural factors helps in diagnosing and treating individuals accurately. Film can be used to understand and visualize how mental disorders may affect one’s life. This paper examines the film “Primal Fear” and explores the character Aaron Stampler and his mental illness, reviews literature on the diagnosis given and critically analyzes the film’s portrayal of the disorder.
Most people gather what they know about mental illnesses from television and film. Unfortunately these media portrayals are inaccurate and create stigma. They depict people suffering from mental illnesses as different, dangerous and laughable. Characters are often addicted to drugs or alcohol, are violent, dangerous, or out of control. Horror film characters like Norman Bates in Psycho, Jack Torrance in the Shining, or Hannibal Lecter in Silence of the Lambs associate the typical 'psycho- killer' with people who suffer from a mental illness. But dramas and horror films are not the only film genres that create stigma. Comedies like What About Bob and many others not only stigmatize, they also make fun of mental illnesses and the people who suffer from them. This paper will discuss how the film Me, Myself & Irene is an inaccurate, offensive and stigmatizing portrayal of an individual suffering from schizophrenia. It also discusses what can be done to counteract the stigma created by these types of films.
Shutter Island, directed by Martin Scorsese and starring Leonardo DiCaprio, is a frightening film full of twists and turns that presents a highly dramatized depiction of mental health and psychiatric treatment. It fulfills a checklist of the classic elements of Hollywood’s psychological horror genre: foreboding asylums, psychiatric experimentation, dangerous mental afflictions, multiple personalities, intense hallucinations, and even lobotomy. The media’s portrayal of psychiatric disorders and treatment is an important contributor to the continued stigmatization of mental illness in our society. This paper will analyze which aspects of Shutter Island portray
As a result of observing this motion picture, I strongly feel that it expressed all of the factors involved within an abnormal psychological disorder. I myself have gained additional knowledge on just how complex is it and what an impact a mental illness can place onto ones life. It is a truly strenuous perceptual state.
In the film “ A Beautiful Mind” John Nash experiences a few different positive symptoms. The first of these positive symptoms are seen through the hallucinations John has of having a room -mate while at Princeton. This room- mate continues to stay “in contact” with John through out his adult life and later this room- mate’s niece enters Johns mind as another coinciding hallucination. Nash’s other hallucination is Ed Harris, who plays a government agent that seeks out Nash’s intelligence in the field of code- breaking.