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The media is one of the most powerful tools in information dissemination. The different forms of media have played crucial roles in influencing public knowledge and perception regarding health information and literacy. Unfortunately, the media has negatively influenced the publics perception of mental health. Movies and television shows portray psychotic disorders in a stereotypical, superficial, and inaccurate fashion, with the focus on violence, hallucinations, and traumatic experiences being largely inaccurate.
The dominant portrayal of people with mental illness in audiovisual media focuses on violence and traumatic events. People with schizophrenia are often portrayed as violent individuals who are uncontrollable and unpredictable. An example of this stereotyping is Andre Lyons depiction as a violent and hallucinating person during bipolar episodes in the Television show Empire. In reality, these symptoms form a small fraction of the experiences of people with psychotic disorders. The inaccuracies of these portrayals are further normalized through recurrent themes in different films.
The negative media portrayal of individuals with psychotic illnesses has lasting, often detrimental impacts on the patients, local community members, family members, and the willingness of these groups to seek and remain in treatment. Research indicates that the distorted depiction of mentally ill individuals discourages health-seeking behavior and hinders their efforts and desire to seek treatment (Srivastava et al., 2018). People in the local communities develop stigma towards the mentally ill as they consume the violent portrayal of such people in the media. Moreover, presenting as a person with mental illness becomes increasingly feared, shunned, and ridiculed. The negative portrayal proves to be detrimental to society in the long term.
To conclude, films and television portray psychotic disorders superficially and stereotypically. Movies often depict people with mental illnesses as violent and unpredictable. Ultimately, the communities, families, and individuals affected by psychiatric disorders are negatively affected.
Reference
Srivastava, K., Chaudhury, S., Bhat, P., & Mujawar, S. (2018). Media and mental health. Industrial Psychiatry Journal, 27(1), 1. Web.
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