Mental Media And The Fear Of Mental Illness In Our Society

The public has programmed many to perceive those with mental illnesses as more dangerous. According to the New Yorker, a study done in 2013 showcased that forty-six percent of respondents believe that people suffering from a mental illness pose a greater danger to society than those without. Furthermore, two recent Gallup polls, from 2011 and 2013, demonstrated that more people believe that mass shootings transpire because of a failure in the mental health system, not due to the easy access of guns. In the cases of Sandy Hook, Marysville-Pilchuck, Virginia Tech, and more, teachers, students, parents, and most importantly, the public, automatically assumed only insanity could cause the performance of those acts. Of course, mental illness can play an immense factor in a person’s likelihood to commit violent acts, but pinpointing it as the paramount reason for them should not happen. After lengthy analyses of data that discusses the correlation of gun violence and mental disorders, Jeffrey Swanson, a medical sociologist and professor of psychiatry at Duke University concluded that mental illness became a risk factor for gun violence in four percent of cases. Although the presented facts disclose the almost non-existent connection between mental illness and gun violence, many continue believing the opposite.

Mental illness is a taboo subject in our society. It is something that too often gets overlooked because these types of ailments " do not bleed ". The negative stigma that surrounds mental illnesses prevents access to care for those in need because either themselves or those around them don’t want to believe that they have one. Mental illnesses are not seen in the same light as a common cold or the chicken pox. If someone have a mental illness, they are seen as broken and potentially unstable. Look at all of the horror movies that surround insane asylums, or people with schizophrenia who are cast as psychopathic murders. It 's no surprise that mental illness has become something that people are in denial for or want to be kept hidden. And its not just the media that is

The media in American society has a major influential impact on the minds and beliefs of millions of people. Whether through the news, television shows, or film, the media acts as a huge database for knowledge and instruction. It is both an auditory and visual database that can press images and ideas into people's minds. Even if the individual has no prior exposure or knowledge to something, the media can project into people's minds and leave a lasting impression. Though obviously people are aware of what they are listening to or watching, thoughts and assumptions can drift into their minds without even realizing it. These thoughts that drift in are extremely influential. The massive impact it

Misinformation and misperception about mental illness can lead to the stigmatization of ourselves, our parents, our children, our spouses and others that we care about. The consequences of stigma range from social isolation to poverty to barriers to quality treatment and care. Stigma perpetrated on a grand scale can result in a system that reinforces the idea that people diagnosed with mental illnesses are unimportant and therefore are unworthy of access to quality and affordable care. Some media outlets (films and television) serve to perpetuate negative stereotypes and reinforce stigma. Although relatively few people with mental illness act out in

Mental illness is often wrongly portrayed in the United States’ media creating stigmatization and misrepresentation. Mental illness “refers to a wide range of mental disorders that affect your mood, thinking and behavior” (Mayo Clinic Staff, 2015). Examples of disorders include anxiety, depression, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and post-traumatic stress disorder. Any “negative attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors are called stigma” (Wilson et al., 2016, p. 2) and stigma can contribute to progression of mental illness because of its harmful effects due to misrepresentation in the media. In the recent years, the United States media has began to address the reprehension around the topic of mental illness, as it has began to develop into a rising problem in citizens across the nation. In the past, any portrayal of a figure or character with a mental disorder would be wrongly depicted, therefore, creating a distorted perception for the viewers (Stout et al., 2004, p. 1). Television shows have started to establish characters with mental illness in hopes to lessen the stigma behind ill characters due to the wrongful associations viewers may make. The way media viewers’ stereotype the mentally ill into categories can be harmful to the well being of those with disorders. Stereotypes can be so harmful that even medical professionals “contend that stigma is a major reason why one-fourth of the estimated 50 million Americans experiencing mental illness yearly will not seek

The general public seems to favor the idea of increasing the reporting of mental illness in background check databases and limiting the ability of those with mental illness from gaining access to guns. In an article by James D. Calvert PhD, a licensed clinical psychologist and lecturer in the Department of Psychology at Southern Methodist University, cites a recent study done by The New England Journal of Medicine that found that both gun owners, and those who don’t own a gun agree that mental health providers should be required to report those who have threatened to hurt themselves, or others to a background database (Calvert, 76). Another article written by Jeffrey W. Swanson, PhD., a lecturer in the Department of Psychiatry at Duke University, discusses how the public bases its information on what it learns from sources in the media, which “reinforces the public’s perception of a strong link between mental illness and violence.” (Swanson, 169). This perception then also helps creates a fear of people with mental illness and makes those with such problems afraid to seek voluntary treatment.

It’s estimated that the onset of 50% of chronic mental illnesses occurs by the age of fourteen, and about 75% by the age of 24 (NAMI, 2015). The most common mental health diagnoses in the United States are mood disorders, which include the spectrums of anxiety disorders, depression, bipolar disorder and schizophrenia. Unfortunately, 60% of adults and 50% of youth did not receive medical services for their mental health conditions in the previous fiscal year (NAMI, 2015).

Metzl and Kenneth T. MacLeish, we can see how these misconceptions are formed. In one passage of this article, it states that “mass shootings represent anecdotal distortions of, rather than representations of, the actions of ‘mentally ill’ people as aggregate group” (Metzl and Macleish pg. 877). Basically, these anecdotal accounts reported by the media do not represent the big picture of the gun violence going on in the country, and it is because of this great exaggeration based on specific events that skews the public’s perception of the mentally ill. Also, the media often makes a distinction between mild and severe mental illnesses, connecting the latter to unpredictability and lack of self-control (Metzl and Macleish pg. 878). But this connection is also called into question by mental health research when serious mental illnesses such as schizophrenia may actually reduce the risk of violence due to traits often associated with schizophrenia such as social isolation and withdrawal (Metzl and Macleish pg.

The information conveyed in this link is both interesting and appalling in various ways. The main thing that struck me was the labeling that is often given to individuals with mental illness. In fact, the topic of mental illness usually comes up in discussion following mass shootings or other heinous crimes. However, as mentioned in the article not all people who are mentally ill have violent tendencies. Moreover, this labeling is a result of the media attempting to garner more views and to find some plausible explanation for someone’s erratic behavior. Rather than hone in on stricter gun control laws. John Oliver discussed the stigma that forever follows a mentally-ill individual, and the words that are used to describe them such as; “Wack0,

Powers states that right after gun violence takes place, “is perhaps the worst time to talk about mental health when you consider that the large majority of those with psychological disorders are not violent. In fact, media reports connecting violence to mental illness only increase the stigma directed toward the mentally ill” (2015). It is easier for the media to discuss mental illness when it is in the context of gun violence because it gives the media something to blame for the violence. However, many mental illnesses are not violent. Outside of gun control, mental illness is not talked about enough in the media, meaning that it does not get the attention that it needs (Powers, 2015).

Conversations associating mental illness with extreme cases of violence have become, and continue to become, more and popular in the United States of America. Many people across the nation, and even in other countries around the world, are demanding answers to an outstanding number of questions. Why did these tragic events occur? Why do these tragic events continue to occur? Why is it that whenever a mass shooting occurs the suspect claims insanity? What is insanity? Are they telling the truth or is it just a cover up? Does mental illness really cause crime? There are so many questions all with varying supplementary scenarios however, I will focus on my belief that although mental illness does not cause crime and violence, it does contribute to it. I believe that the first and most important problem in this controversy is the lack of understanding what both mental illness and crime is. Robert Schug refers to both terms as “umbrella terms” in Stacy Mallicoat’s Crime and Criminal Justice: Concepts and Controversies (2016). Mental illness consists of numerous complex conditions that alters one’s state of mind with ranging severities and crime consists of varying levels of behaviors and actions that are against the law.

The media, which consists of television, radio and the newspaper, is referred to as a form of communication. It is thought as the most powerful tool of communication due to the fact that it is able to present information at any time either promoting it in a positive or negative light. The media is also known for presenting fake news, however due to the fact that they are communicating to the masses the majority of news is believed if from a ‘reliable’ source. Newspaper companies such as ‘The Sun’ and ‘The Daily Mail’ pay extortionate prices in order to obtain front page stories from paparazzi so they can publish them in their papers resulting more profit for the companies as more individuals buy the papers. The media are able to shape the

“The media’s the most powerful entity on earth. They have the power to make the innocent guilty and to make the guilty innocent, and that’s power. Because they control the minds of the masses.” -Malcolm X. It can be said without a doubt that media plays a massive role in how society views certain things. A negative media portrayal ultimately leads to negativity and stigma towards whichever group. One of the groups that is severely impacted by these dismissive representations is mental illness. The portrayal of mental illness in mass media as violent, amusing, or downright “nuts”, is inaccurate and vilifying, but can be resolved by the inclusion of mental health specialist in program planning.

Negative attitudes toward mental health are directly influenced by mass media. In 2017, media controls our surroundings, to the extent that we are inclined to believe everything we see and hear from media. Social media is poisoned with exaggeration and grossly falsified stories. Since it is so personal, people rarely approach social media with a careful eye. Trusting mass media is a slippery slope, as many misconceptions can be easily made about people, especially those with mental illnesses. For example, there are many false, widely accepted stigmas against schizophrenia in the United States. It is important to understand stereotypes, versus realities of mental illness so that members of society can improve the lives of those with mental illnesses, instead of hindering them. A common stereotype against schizophrenia deals with the criminalization of schizophrenics. The criminalization of mental illness in America is a growing problem resulting from factors such as crime television and movie productions. Diefenbach (1997) hypothesized that portrayals of those with mental illness on television are “significantly more violent” than the actuality of mental illness in America. Experimenters have linked the two, finding outstanding evidence relating media to the criminalization of mental illness. Misrepresentation in media contributes to the criminalization of people with mental illnesses in America.

Mass media has a stranglehold on our society and it is uncomfortable to think about just what it effects and whether it is good or harmful. The tools that helped me to gain a better understanding of how much the social media and technology package, influences our decisions, social changes and even our buying habits were very subtle. The articles chosen for this class aided in a deeper understanding of just how we use mass media and how it in turn uses us. It seemed simple to start with, the choice of free will, or to tune out mass media seems easy, however the 48-hour experiment was a wake up call as it brought up many emotional issues for many people. The response that is elicited from listening to a specific type of music, the advertisements we are subjected to and the overall poor social message that mass media plays a part in is overwhelming. When given the opportunity to examine how lasting these effects can be we see a part of ourselves that we have become so unaware of that it is not even a separate entity. Our social response to the news, the world events, current events, and local news, has become a doctored version or ideal of what the mass media corporations would like you to react to. The 48 hour experiment proposed by Dr. Kadi shed some much needed light on how seriously advertising affects our mental and social health. Mental health problems are at an all time high and I believe one of major contributing factors is the exposure to mass media.