The Portrayal Of Mental Illness - 1972 Words

The portrayal of mental illness to the public has a very important part in the discovery, understanding and treatment of them. Common misconceptions and assumptions can be damaging to people with such illnesses by the development of social stigmas and creation of outcasts in situations where support is needed. In modern times communication to the public about mental illness comes in a variety of ways, some accurate and some not. Movies are an example of a medium which has high potential for erroneous depictions of these and are also widely publicised. This essay will look at the movie The Bourne Identity (Liman, 2002) and whether or not the depiction of mental illness in the protagonist has accuracy, or is an example of misinformation about the reality which many people suffer through. The movie begins with a fishing boat picking up a man out of the water in a storm off the coast of southern France. They treat his wounds and as he regains consciousness it becomes apparent he has no idea of who he is or anything about himself. The only clue to his identity is a device found under his skin which has the number for a safety deposit box in Zurich. He leaves the boat and a travel there to find out the box is full of passports, thousands of dollars and a gun. The American passport says his name is Jason Bourne. He quickly discovers that the authorities are trying to catch him and he escapes the bank. Through all these events it is clear Bourne is an expert fighter, very good atShow MoreRelatedThe Portrayal Of Mental Illness962 Words   |  4 PagesPortrayal of mental illness in media, films and television programmes is extensive and predominantly preserves myths and stereotypes about mental illness. People with mental illness are most commonly shown as being violent and aggressive, but they are also frequently depicted as tragic, tortured, genius, dangerous, eccentric, flamboyant, hysterical, sexual, jokers and rebels. Mental health professionals are variously port rayed as incompetent, sinister, unrealistically seductive or rationalist foilsRead MoreThe Portrayal Of An Issue Like Mental Illness1328 Words   |  6 PagesThe portrayal of an issue like mental illness is totally vulnerable to misrepresentation. Depending on who is writing and their viewpoint, it does not take much to make this issue sympathetic or demonized. If the author of a given piece wants his or her audience to demonize something, the author might use the word isolation†. If that same author wants a sympathetic response he might use the word loneliness†. As far as the New York Times is concerned, they opted for a stereotypical portrayal. ItRead More False Portrayal of Mental Illness in the Media1110 Words   |  5 Pages False Portrayal of Mental Illness in the Media Protagonist The movie â€Å"The Roommate,† revolves around a young girl named Sarah (Minka Kelly) who is starting her freshman year of college. Little does she know that she has a roommate that is diagnosed with numerous mental disorders that she is not treating by taking her medication. When they are initially acquainted as roommates, Sara comes across as being innocent and depicts very normal behavior. However, as soon as Rebecca and Sarah become closerRead MoreMedia Portrayal of Mental Illness in America4048 Words   |  17 PagesMedia Portrayal of Mental Illness in America The media in American society has a major influential impact on the minds and beliefs of millions of people. Whether through the news, television shows, or film, the media acts as a huge database for knowledge and instruction. It is both an auditory and visual database that can press images and ideas into peoples minds. Even if the individual has no prior exposure or knowledge to something, the media can project into peoples minds and leave a lastingRead MoreEssay on Media Portrayal of Mental Illness in America3893 Words   |  16 Pages Media Portrayal of Mental Illness in America The media in American society has a major influential impact on the minds and beliefs of millions of people. Whether through the news, television shows, or film, the media acts as a huge database for knowledge and instruction. It is both an auditory and visual database that can press images and ideas into peoples minds. Even if the individual has no prior exposure or knowledge to something, the media can project into peoples minds and leave a lastingRead MoreThe Portrayal of Mental Illness in â€Å"Girl, Interrupted† Essay1693 Words   |  7 PagesThe Portrayal of Mental Illness in â€Å"Girl, Interrupted† The film â€Å"Girl, Interrupted† is a true story adapted from the original memoir by Susanna Kaysen. Set in the 1960s, it relates her experiences during her stay in a mental institution after being diagnosed with borderline personality disorder following a suicide attempt. Many films include characters with a mental illness; the actors who play these characters have the immense challenge of staying true to the illness they portray. The mainRead MoreMental Illness And Its Effects On The Media Essay1324 Words   |  6 PagesIntroduction Mental illness is often wrongly portrayed in the United States’ media creating stigmatization and misrepresentation. Mental illness â€Å"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 â€Å"negative attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors are called stigma† (Wilson et al., 2016, p. 2) and stigma can contributeRead MoreMental Illness And The Media1540 Words   |  7 PagesIn the media when you hear the word â€Å"mental illness† most of the time its associated with words like â€Å"dangerous,† â€Å"monster,† or better yet â€Å"psychopath†. Shawn M Phillips in â€Å"mental illness in popular culture† (p.64) states that at the end of the day, â€Å"mental illness and disabilities are all just clustered into one vague group of â€Å"deviantsâ €  by popular culture.† This is not to say it isn t ever associated with positive words like â€Å"beautiful,† â€Å"normal,† and â€Å"kind. The media should be flooded with moreRead MoreHow Does The United States Media Affects Mental Illness? Essay998 Words   |  4 PagesResearch Question How does the United States media, specifically in television, portray mental illness? Methodology 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 disorderRead MoreThe Stigma Of The Mentally Ill1498 Words   |  6 Pagesviolent, incompetent, or weird. Even without the negative stereotypes, there are some who consider mentally ill people a burden on society simply because they don’t believe mental illnesses are actual diseases. For the people like myself who haven’t had any interactions with the mentally ill, we get our information about mental illness from mass media. The media is of no help to the mentally ill either, though the media may occasionally portray a mentally ill character as quirky or bighearted, they are