Romanticization of mental illness in media
Romanticization of mental illness in media includes sensationalization and misrepresentation of such illnesses.[1]
Romanticization in Technology[edit]
Television[edit]
Both TV shows and movies have a history of including characters struggling with some sort of mental illness. In the past, many of these characters seem to be depicted as either highly dangerous or as comedic relief, and as a result, some viewers see this as a very incorrect visualization of a real-life, authentic and true experience.[1]
For example, movies such as Psycho, The Boston Strangler, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, and The Silence of The Lambs all have villains portrayed as suffering from mental illness.[2]
13 Reasons Why[edit]
"13 Reasons Why" is a Netflix original[3] with the plot surrounding a high school female, Hannah Baker, who committed suicide. Controversy around this TV show has arisen for a while ever since it was released, and many articles and postings have been uploaded online, especially around the idea of connecting the female's suicide to a form of anger and revenge.[1][4] Some argue that there is too much of an emphasis on how Hannah committed suicide, including the gory visuals and details as well as the idea of revenge, and not enough focus on the true reasons behind ending one's life.[5] Other's also emphasize how shows such as "13 Reasons Why" normally just skim over and cover only the surface of these issues, and thus somehow desensitize something as important as suicide.[5] For example, this specific show was accused of not talking much about mental health in its first season (besides the suicide itself).[1]
The National Alliance on Mental Health (NAMI) additionally argues that the depiction of a "planned out suicide" is damaging, as suicides are rarely planned.[1]
Social Media[edit]
Social media is a prevalent presence in many people’s lives, especially for younger generations. As a result, these platforms have also become used more and more to address mental health issues in different ways.
TikTok[edit]
TikTok has especially become a social media platform where mental health and illnesses are talked about more freely. The National institutes of Health (NIH) released in 2015 that more than 1/3 of Americans use the internet to help "diagnose their ailments", including mental illnesses.[6] TikTok videos promoting either self-diagnosis or possible symptoms of different illnesses has caused an increase of internet users to believe they have a disorder, when in reality they may or may not.[7] Additionally, TikTok keeps up with the latest trends, and some trends touch upon mental health (positively or negatively, depending on the point of view). One trend, as explained by the Philadelphia Magazine, uses intermittent fasting to heal anxiety. However, some individuals, including licensed counselors such as Akua K. Boateng[8] argue that this advice is actually very detrimental in actually promoting bad mental habits instead, including the possible development of eating disorders.[7]
Other trends, including "What I Eat in a Day" Tiktoks, have been also labeled as harmful by health professionals, since these videos may lead viewers to habits of unhealthy comparison and goals of developing the "societal accepted body".[1] With a majority of these videos reaching women especially, many believe that viewers may become more vulnerable, leading to unhealthy eating habits.[9]
Tumblr[edit]
There exists a large population of self-identified mentally ill users on Tumblr, where the ability to post more unfiltered content led to individuals arguably sensationalizing and glamorizing mental illnesses and suicide.[1] A thesis on Tumblr poetry explains how "[t]he site serves as both a place of relief for people with mental health disorders, or even just every day growing pains, but it can also act as an enabling source for users who use the site as an echo chamber for their own problematic coping mechanisms, implying a groupthink problem that can exist in this kind of digital space."[10] Tumblr staff attempted to prevent the use of their platform for romanticizing mental illness by changing their policies in 2012 to prohibit content actively promoting or depicting self harm and showing Public Service Announcements instead of results when users search keywords related to self-harm, such as "proana," "thinspo," "thinspiration," "purge," "bulimia," "anorexic," and more.[11]
Romanticization and Portrayal in the News[edit]
Celebrity Suicides[edit]
An abundance of media and news coverage occurs follow the celebrity suicides, such as the pretty recent deaths of Kate Spade and Robin Williams. A Columbia University study[12] revealed that "suicides rose nearly 10% higher than expected in the months following Robin Williams' death in August 2014", especially involving the method used by Robin Williams himself (a 32% increase).[13][14]
These results support the idea of suicide contagion, which the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) defines as "the exposure to suicide or suicidal behaviors within one's family, one's peer group, or through media reports of suicide and can result in an increase in suicide and suicidal behaviors."[15]
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 "From Stigmatized to Sensationalized | NAMI: National Alliance on Mental Illness". www.nami.org. Retrieved 2022-03-31.
- ↑ "From vilification to romanticization: Viewing mental disorders from the lens of media". Sociology Group: Sociology and Other Social Sciences Blog. 2021-05-23. Retrieved 2022-03-31.
- ↑ "Watch 13 Reasons Why | Netflix Official Site". www.netflix.com. Retrieved 2022-03-31.
- ↑ "Mental Illness Depiction in TV Shows". www.wethegenesis.id. Retrieved 2022-03-31.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Bloggers, Guest (2021-04-20). "Harmful Romanticization in 13 Reasons Why". Bring Change to Mind. Retrieved 2022-03-31.
- ↑ "Checking the Symptom Checkers". National Institutes of Health (NIH). 2015-08-14. Retrieved 2022-03-31.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 "Real Philly Therapists on the Worst Mental Health Advice and Trends They've Seen on TikTok". Philadelphia Magazine. 2021-03-11. Retrieved 2022-03-31.
- ↑ "Akua K. Boateng, Ph.D." Akua K. Boateng, Ph.D. Retrieved 2022-03-31.
- ↑ "The Dangers of Tik Tok's 'What I Eat in a Day' Trend". www.hopeseds.org. 2021-04-23. Retrieved 2022-03-31.
- ↑ Cotte, Selena (20 March 2020). #does this count as poetry?": A genre analysis of Tumblr poetry (Master of Arts). Retrieved 18 April 2022.
- ↑ "Tumblr Revises Policy On Self-Harm Content, Bans 'Hunger Blogs'". HuffPost. HuffPost. 23 February 2012. Retrieved 18 April 2022.
- ↑ Fink, David S.; Santaella-Tenorio, Julian; Keyes, Katherine M. (2018-02-07). "Increase in suicides the months after the death of Robin Williams in the US". PLOS ONE. 13 (2): e0191405. Bibcode:2018PLoSO..1391405F. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0191405. ISSN 1932-6203. PMC 5802858. PMID 29415016.
- ↑ Dastagir, Alia E. "Kate Spade's death and the unintentional consequences of suicide coverage". USA TODAY. Retrieved 2022-03-31.
- ↑ Hafner, Josh Hafner and Josh. "Suicides increased 10% after Robin Williams' death, study finds". USA TODAY. Retrieved 2022-03-31.
- ↑ Division (DCD), Digital Communications. "What does "suicide contagion" mean, and what can be done to prevent it?". HHS.gov. Retrieved 2022-03-31.
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