Representation

Representation

     I may choose to represent people with mental illnesses within my project. Mental illness is a very prevalent topic, and it has remained relevant over many years. It is also something that audiences might associate with or relate to whether they suffer from an mental disorder or they know someone else who does. Also, there is a lot of room for misrepresentation of mental illnesses in the media.

     There are numerous existing films that include characters affected by mental disorders. One instance is seen in the 2001 movie A Beautiful Mind. This film follows the story of Nobel Prize-winner John Nash who suffers from schizophrenia. Although it is critiqued as a very well done movie, others argue that it incorrectly portrays schizophrenia because the extreme visual hallucination and sub-plot relating to Nash's roommate. However, this movie is praised for showing a beneficial member of society that suffers from an illness as severe as schizophrenia.

     Moreover, the film One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975) depicts the story of a man who pretends to be mentally ill in order to avoid going to prison. He is put in a psychiatric institution, where the audience is shown many negative features of these facilities, such as the strong control that workers have over the patients and the distinct separation from a typical lifestyle. Unfortunately, the treatments used in the movie where outdated for the time period, and further research showed that people developed more negative perceptions of mental illness after viewing this film.

     Other generalizations or stereotypes about mental illness that are present in society or shown in the media include the idea that mentally ill people pose a danger to others. In certain circumstances this may be true, but the vast majority of the time this a false generalization that can be incredibly harmful to the way people are perceived. Also, the ideas that people with these disorders are the cause of them or that they do not care to recover are harmful mindsets that are untrue and unfair. Mental illnesses can be caused by biological and/or environmental factors, and many mental illness patients seek recovery in order to better themselves and lessen their suffering. One final note is that not all mental illnesses are the same or even have similar severity levels, which is the main one that I would like to highlight or challenge. People with these illnesses can easily fly under the radar, and these disorders can be much more common than one might think.

     Overall, it is necessary that mental illnesses are represented truthfully in the media to minimize harmful stigmas and to properly present such a large and diverse group of individuals.