Photo By: http://palmsbh.com/what-can-you-do-for-mental-health-month/
Approximately 1 in 5 adults in the U.S.—43.8 million, or 18.5%—experiences mental illness in a given year. 1.1% of those adults in the U.S have Schizophrenia. Those who have a mental illness sometimes deal with what is called stigma.
A stigma is: the disapproval of, or discrimination against, a person based on perceivable social characteristics that serve to distinguish them from other members of a society. When someone has a mental illness, common stigmas are: dangerous, crazy, psycho, frightening, and so on.
SCHIZOPHRENIA DEFINED:
“A chronic and severe mental disorder that affects how a person thinks, feels, and behaves” (nimh, 2016). Symptoms include:
- hallucinations,
- delusions
- “flat affect,”
- decreased communication,
- difficulty managing daily activities/routines,
- decreased functioning,
- trouble paying attention, and more.
Photo By: psycom
SCHIZOPHRENIA IN THE MOVIES
This first clip is of the film Donnie Darko (2001). In the movie, the main character has Schizophrenia and continuously hallucinates about a rabbit named Frank who constantly gets inside of his head and tries to portray the end of the world.
Watch from 1:00-2:00 and you will get a glimpse of how Schizophrenia is portrayed in this film.
This film does a great job of exaggerating Schizophrenia and although some may experience a few or all of these intense symptoms, it is more often less severe. In contemporary films, there is an abundance of misinformation about symptoms, causes, and treatment in the media. In an article called “Portrayals of Schizophrenia by Entertainment Media” by P.R Owen a PhD Psychiatrist goes into how characters portrayed in the media are typically Caucasian males and showed signs of “positive” Schizophrenia which includes delusions and hallucinations.
DEBUNKING STIGMA
This article drives home how the media projects the stigma of mental illness and how the public is more influenced by the portrayal of Schizophrenia in the film.
SCHIZOPHRENIA SIMULATION
The next clip is from CNN and Anderson Cooper (the primary CNN anchor) undergoes a simulation of Schizophrenia. This clip only shows a select few symptoms of Schizophrenia.
From the medical source National Institute of Mental Health “NIMH” a clear definition is given along with “positive,” “negative.” and “cognitive” symptoms of Schizophrenia are explained. In this clip, mostly “positive” symptoms are being observed. This clip does a good job of accurately representing those particular symptoms. However, the other symptoms are left out leaving the public to believe that these are what every person with this mental illness experience and thus, enhances the stigma yet again.
REAL ILLNESS, REAL LIFE
This last media clip is from a TED talk that is told by a woman who lives with Schizophrenia. This woman goes into how she did not know when she was younger what was wrong with her and how it is harder to diagnose in younger children. However, as she entered college she was finally able to get a diagnosis.
Watch 3:00-4:30 to get a general idea of this clip however the entire clip is extremely informative.
The medical source Mayo Clinic which is a non-profit organization that offers professional and clinical research. Mayo Clinic describes how early onset symptoms of Schizophrenia in children is harder to diagnose even though the symptoms are very similar to those in adults. This information backs up what is discussed in this clip and also viewing someone with the disorder is extremely beneficial. She speaks upon the stigma of her disorder and even captions the title of this clip “I am not a monster” because that is how the public views mental illness sometimes.
WHAT TO BELIEVE/ PENNY FOR YOUR THOUGHTS
All of these clips have qualities that help portray Schizophrenia. However, as mentioned in the very last clip, with the help of medication or other sources, mental illnesses can be easily managed and people can live in society without ever revealing they have a mental illness. In my professional opinion, stigma is very real and what is seen in the movies should only be looked at by face value. It is Hollywood after all. If we only relied on what we see in the movies then we would of course believe the stigmas. That is not to say that all media does not accurately depict certain disorders but other sources should always be put into consideration for more accurate definitions or symptoms are needed.
Photo By: Sasha Kalis
References:
- Childhood schizophrenia. (2016, September 29). Retrieved October 31, 2018, from
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/childhood-
schizophrenia/symptoms-causes/syc-20354483
- Owen, P. R., PhD. (2012, July 1). Portrayals of Schizophrenia by Entertainment
Media: Retrieved October 31, 2018, from
https://ps.psychiatryonline.org/doi/abs/10.1176/appi.ps.201100371
- Schizophrenia. (2016, February). Retrieved October 31, 2018, from
https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/schizophrenia/index.shtml