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Redirecting Media Narratives Of Mental Health Disorders

Teguan Harris
Image displays TV shows on Netflix's homepage.

Teguan Harris

Content warning: This article contains discussion of stigma towards mental health disorders, self-harm, and suicide.

More people than ever are grappling with some form of mental disorder. However, some receive more grace and acceptance than others.

While phrases like “anxiety” and “panic attacks” have become part of our everyday vocabulary, many mental health disorders still face significant demonisation in the media. Substance abuse, psychosis, and schizophrenia are still viewed through a negative lens.

So, why are some mental health problems more stigmatised than others?

Defining Mental Disorder

A mental disorder is characterised by a clinically significant disturbance in an individual’s cognition, emotional regulation, or behaviour. Usually, these disorders are associated with distress or impairment in functional areas of the brain.

Mental health is a broader term that covers our emotional, psychological, and social well-being. If someone has poor mental health, it suggests they’re struggling to cope with one or more of these areas. Usually, all areas of a person’s general well-being will be impacted if they have difficulty with their mental health. It may also affect their physical health.

https://twitter.com/CYPMentalHealth/status/1726976388320899466

Approximately 1 in 8 people live with a mental health disorder. The type of disorder and how it impacts people’s lives vary greatly from person to person.

While effective prevention and treatment exist, they can be difficult to access. People may face stigma, discrimination, and demonisation when seeking treatment, as well as financial difficulties when trying to cover costs.

Media Misrepresentation Of Mental Health

The general population is poorly educated about complex mental health problems. As a result, inaccurate media misrepresentations become the main source of information for most people. Misinformation also spreads like wildfire on apps like TikTok, where people without qualifications can claim to be mental health professionals.

Netflix’s 13 Reasons Why (2017 – 2020) is an infamous example of dangerous media portrayals of mental disorders. After its release, there was a series of ‘copycat suicides’ among teenage viewers. Speaking to The Skier Scribbler, nurse practitioner and psychiatrist Holly Ellis says: “It showed depression and suicide in an extremely unhealthy and glamorising way. Because of that, a lot of those individuals repeated what they saw in that specific TV show.”

“The media portrayal has not helped with the idea of a murderous alter just waiting to come out.”

Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID) is another highly demonised mental disorder in TV and movies. Despite studies showing that DID systems are more likely to harm themselves than another person, they are often depicted as being violent. M. Night Shyamalan’s Split (2016) and, more recently, Netflix’s You (2018 -) both represent DID systems as kidnappers, stalkers, and serial killers.

Emma, who is part of a DID system, believes many stigmas stem from this misrepresentation: “Some people [still] believe DID is caused by demonic possession. The media portrayal has not helped with the idea of a murderous alter just waiting to come out.”

The Romanticisation Of Mental Disorders

At the other end of the spectrum, social media can also romanticise mental disorders, with conditions like anxiety, depression, and anorexia nervosa being commonly cited.

Users depict mental disorders as quirky, desirable, or part of a trend. Originally, the ‘normalisation’ of mental health problems was intended to remove the stigma and start open conversations about people’s experiences. But it has resulted in these disorders being sanitised and downplayed.

Concepts like the ‘tortured artist’ or ‘suffering is beauty’ have existed throughout history, Vincent Van Gogh being a famous example. But the inaccurate portrayal of disorders often ignores the bleak reality.

Nurse practitioner Tink Hansen expressed the danger and irresponsibility of romanticising mental disorders: “Romanticising something that is very real and a struggle for a lot of people is doing society a disservice.

“Severe depression and anxiety are absolutely debilitating. This downplays the severity of these mental illnesses and the struggles people have to face every day,” she said.

Lack Of Education And Understanding

People with mental health problems suffer as a result of the lack of awareness and education among those who do not experience mental disorder. Discrimination and demonisation often take place at an institutional level, commonly referred to as medical ableism.

Despite DID’s recognition in the DSM-5, many psychiatrists and nurses do not consider DID to be a real mental disorder. Emma experiences the effects of the stigma in her everyday life. DID systems are “turned down” for treatment because they are “too complex” of a case or accused of faking their symptoms.

“We have been let go from jobs because of it. Once employers find out about our disorder, they get scared,” she said.

Whether it manifests in legislation or rehabilitation efforts, structural discrimination against mentally ill people is still pervasive.

What Are The Next Steps?

A media redirection towards people’s lived experiences is needed. In the internet age, it’s easy to access firsthand accounts from people with mental health problems. There are books, movies, and social media posts where people share their experiences and struggles in a way that’s both candid and accessible.

Emma calls for greater education on different types of mental health disorders — not just the “common ones” — and for the media to do their due diligence in portraying them. Misportrayals and depictions of inaccurate behaviour, regardless of intent, can isolate some of the most vulnerable people in society.

“People with mental illness are people, not monsters. They are not dangerous; they are struggling. We need to be treated with respect.”

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Featured image courtesy of Stock Catalog via Flickr. No changes were made to this image. Image licence found here. 

Writer and journalist. University graduate in English Literature. Book reader, word lover and Notion enthusiast.

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