The Romanticizing & Stigmatization of Mental Illness
Mental Illness and the way it is perceived continues to be a serious issue, for both the media and society as a whole. The way various mental health problems are portrayed in movies and books, written about in newspapers, and talked about in the classroom creates a very complex way that an ordinary individual views these illnesses.Â
A problematic trend within pop culture that many people have noticed, is the romanticizing of mental health issues, and depression in particular. A beautiful, troubled teen girl who is rescued by a kind, handsome boy who gives her love and attention has arguably become a mainstream view of depression, which is harmful for many reasons.
For one thing, the notion that depression can be magically cured by a little TLC from someone youâre attracted to is absolutely ridiculous. I cannot stress enough that depression is so much more than just feeling a little lonely or sad, and often ruins interpersonal relationships instead of bringing people together (http://www.webmd.com/depression/features/divorcing-depression). When dealing with depression, the patriarchal, hyper masculine view that women are the only ones who face depression, and that the men need to save them also stigmatizes men who are facing depression. The stigmatization leads to men being less likely seek help, and only adds to this alarming statistic: About 50% of all adults experiencing symptoms of depression will not talk to a doctor or seek help for depression (http://www.healthline.com/health/depression/statistics).
On news outlets, mental illness is far from romanticized. Instead, it is taken to the other extreme. Mental health is not addressed in the news until something extreme and tragic happens, such as the Sandy Hook massacre, or the recent Lafayette theater shooting that resulted in death and destruction. In the eyes of the viewers, this implants and internalizes the idea that mental illnesses equate to insanity and violence, which leads to further stigmatization, fear, and silence about mental health issues.
It could also be argued that the media uses mental health issues as a tool to humanize the white men who go on vicious killing sprees, and to push ideological agendas about issues like gun control. This is a gross problem that adds to both the issue of white privilege, AND the way mental health is viewed, portrayed, and discussed.
Growing up I was fortunate enough to go to a school where students were taught the facts about mental illness. My health teacher taught us about the stigma that comes along with it, and made sure to emphasize that depression is not just feeling down. We were given information about resources to turn to if we had further questions, and she genuinely cared about making sure we understood her. But a week of focus on mental illness in health class unfortunately does little to combat what we see in the movies, read in the news, or hear from our peers.
All too often, mental health is viewed as something that people can just get over, or as something that makes them inherently dangerous. People use âdepressedâ to describe how they feel when they fail a test they thought they aced, and âbipolarâ to describe an occasional mood swing. Mental illnesses should not be used as adjectives so candidly in conversations with your peers. Mental illnesses should not just be talked about in the media just when they want to humanize another white man who goes on a killing spree. Mental illness is not the sad beautiful girl you see helped by the kind boy when they fall in love in the movie. The romanticizing and stigmatization of mental illness needs to stop. Â
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