Mental and Social Disorder Essay

Although stigmatizing attitudes are not only relatable to mental illness, the public attitudes towards mental illness tend to be more disapproving than towards people with physical illnesses (Piner and Kahle, 1984; Socall and Holtgraves, 1992; Weiner, Perry and Magnusson, 1988). Those with mental illnesses are viewed as being more likely to be responsible for their mental illness (Corrigan et al., 2000; 105). This assumptions is more towards those who suffer from substance additions and eating disorders rather than those who suffer from conditions such as schizophrenia (Angermeyer and Matschinger, 2004). Such attitudes as these therefore lead to discrimination. People in society are less likely to employ (Bordieri and Drehmer, 1986) and rent apartments (Page, 1977) to those suffering from mental illness, citizens are also more likely to direct false accusations of violence to the mentally ill. (Explaining the increased arrest rate among mental patients: a cautionary note, 1980; Steadman, 1981)

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.

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,

Caputo and Rouner’s study found that many people are uneducated about mental illness and they get their information from the media (2011, p. 595 ). Citing National Mental Health Association, Caputo and Rouner (2011), noted that 58% of people learn about mental illness from newspapers, 51% from television news, 34% from news magazines, and 70% from television programs (p. 596). There is so much negativity attached to mental illness that many people are scared to seek help because of public perception (Caputo & Rouner, 2011, p.

Modern television shows will be analyzed to find any indication of a shift from misrepresentation of the mentally ill to a portrayal that does not represent them as incapable or unable to perform well socially in the real world, or in a job. Shows such as Grey’s Anatomy and Homeland will be evaluated based on the correct representation of disorders such as posttraumatic stress disorder, alcoholism/addiction, and bipolar disorder. These shows will be compared to other television shows such as Saved by the Bell that misrepresent mental illness. A detectible shift from negative misrepresentation to a more positive representation will be prevalent if there is a focus on a disorder of an individual in not just a negative light.

Steve is a well-known journalist who lives a middle class lifestyle. He wanted medication for him so he can be “normal” so he can uncover his gifted talent to everyone. The staff at Lamp Community treat their guests as family. Doctors are available as well as treatment, but only if the individual requests it. In society, someone with mental illness is regarded as being disabled, crazy, violent, dangerous, incompetent, untrustworthy, and unable to converse with. The media plays a huge role in this. Once mental illness is spoken about after a mass shooting, people immediately associate everyone with these illness’s to being dangerous. People who are mentally ill are more at risk of being attacked since they lack the ability to decipher reality

The public is regularly exposed to mass media messages that involve negative and untrue information about BP and SCH. The constant flow of violent news stories, movies, video games, and television dramas builds up a tolerance over time that makes viewers insensitive to hardened programming. Millions have learned to accept this type of media as the new norm and it actually creates a lucrative market demand for more. Media corporations respond by producing an increasing amount of media products for an expanded and interested population. Ironically, the more consumers immerse themselves into this type of programming; they believe they are well-informed about mental illness like BP and SCH. So, why is it the general public is totally shocked when they

Technology has made communication advance reaching out billions of people connecting through many platforms. Author Kirstin Fawcett in her article “How mental Illness is Misrepresented in the Media,” argue how the media is affecting mental health issues. Fawcett began building her credibility with personal opinions and media sources, citing other researcher facts and statistics and successfully appealing emotions; however Fawcett also point out three most important points in her article. In her article, Fawcett talks about three major illness of mental health: People with mental illness are criminal or violent, People with mental illness look different than others and People with mental illness are childish and silly. Media is the big way for communication such as TV and radio.

“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.

One of the articles we read, “How Mental Illness Is Misrepresented in the Media,” describes the discrepancies between mental illness and the media’s portrayal of mental illness. In this article the author states that: “People with mental illness look like, well, everyone else” (4). I’ve always tried to follow the principle, ‘don’t judge a book by its cover’ but this article reinforced that value of being nonjudgmental. As we discussed mental illness we recognized the stigma about it and how the media influences and propagates that stigma. After reading this article and discussing it in class I’ve made a conscious effort to recognize my own prejudices and work through them and try to become more

In today’s ever-growing communication age, there is one thing that remains constant through it all: the media. This is not to say that media, itself, is not evolving as that would be untrue; however, media remains the vessel in which the world stays connected. Humans are the creators of media and with that comes their natural biases and opinions. One bias that really showcases itself is the current one against mental illnesses. During a 2010 study, newspaper articles were collected from various top agencies and analyzed for the usage of the word “Schizophrenia”. Of the articles that were collected and analyzed, 3.5% referenced Schizophrenia (Vahabzadeh et al pg. 442). This may seem like a minute number and it is, but the limited supply of articles

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.

By now we are all aware there is a problem with the mentally and mass incarceration. Why and how has this phenomenon occurred? I have read about deinstitutionalization, police interactions, diversion programs, criminal recidivism and getting to the root cause of the problem by examining the offender’s behavior. What makes this so intriguing is the fact that the root of the problem may just be within ourselves due in part to how the media depicts the mentally ill. Society’s knowledge of mental illness and the mentally ill is mostly from television. Shows have a tendency to air content with stereotypical storylines that reinforces the fears and negativity one has towards this group or illness. These are the same individuals walking the streets, your common citizens, your juries, your public service workers, etc. We are all being influenced by bias material of television when the media should be aiming to educate the public, not scare