Mental Health and Media

Mental disorder in Media

widening gap of understanding about mental health issues because of a high level of trust in media messages, as consumers tend to have an uncritical eye. media is the most significant source of mental illness information and shapes the way society interacts with people who have a mental disorder (by emphasizing criminality, dangerous, unpredictability). Western culture has a history of wanting to visualize mental illness reflecting a desire to control it and protect normality.

key analyses of media content find that

1. news stories of mental disorder being violent/harming others are most common 2. language used about mental disorder is negative. 3. multiple causes of mental disorders are rarely reported 4. symptoms of specific diagnoses are often inaccurate 5. few stories about recovery or prevention 6. consumers take messages about mental illness from favoured media sources or less at face value. 7. negative portrayals of people with mental illness and of treatment systems leads to structural discrimination in terms of policy and financing for mental health

television

72% of characters with mental health issues are portrayed as violent. Mental illness becomes a vehicle to explain violence and creates a link between them. they ignore intersectional ideas as most time they are portrayed of being alone. engenders feelings of inferiority, belittlement, and self rejection. and create self sigma

marginalized identities and mental disorders

most common depiction of mental illness are white people. POC face barriers, trauma socioeconomic factors that affect mental health. 'insane' characters with implied mental illness are queer coded which results in more stigma and harmful portrayals

authentic portrayals vs villainization

not always mentioned, yet can still be portrayed. psychological disorders other than depression are sometimes portrayed when filmmakers have little knowledge of the disorder due to things like rarity or pre existing stigma and misinformation which continues the stigma. ex - DID is very rare and is overrepresented in media

mental illness in Disney films

exposure to children's influences attitudes towards social groups. Children may learn labels can acquiring the negative connotations and stereotypes associated with such labels, which is often used to set apart the other characters. Disney has as much power as school in portrayals as norms.

Donahue & swords 2024 article

has prevalence of mental illness references, that negative portrayal of characters of mental disorder and calls for an improvement. Theres also gender differences, which can impact sigma early on.

stigmatization of individuals with mental illness

model public negative reactions by affecting recovery process and seeking help. fear, rejections, derision, ridicule, promotes stigma. it impairs self-esteem levels, and adherence to medicine and recovery attitudes of rejection is normalized

stigmatization of mental health professionals

result of inaccurate display of information. Gabbard & Gabbard defined 3 common stereotypes of psychiatrist- 1. the alienist 2. the quack 3. the oriacle. interaction between patients and professionals

media as an agent of positive change

media can be an important ally challenging prejudices, initiating public debate, and projection positive, human interest stories about people who live with mental illness

post truth era

psychiatrists have been reluctant go engage with media. Some topics in mental health are so complex that they would require a lengthier, and perhaps less-compelling storyline. Major barrier - ethics violations and that they should not comment on things outside their scope

how heavy use of social media is linked to mental illness

major sites have detrimental effects on mental health. It is good for self expression but bad for sleep, anxiety and fomo. these problems are severe for frequent users by exploiting vulnerability.

gamification of health

when we make ourselves part of the game. ex - tiktok streak pets which entities us to engage with it daily

three categories of online behaviour

1. factitious disorder (munchausen by internet, motivations are unconscious) 2. malingering (behaviour where a person exaggerating illness, ex to make money or scamming) 3. trolling. this is mostly a result of an inaccessible mental health system.the sick role is a temp role that individuals take when they become ill, it defines a certain pattern of behaviour that individuals must do as part of their responsibility of being sick

Munchausen's by internet

created by Mark Feldman, is a pattern of behaviour in which a person seeks attention and sympathy by feigning illnesses in online venues such as forums and social media site , medical deception only lives in teh virtual realm

the self

is defined as a composite of thoughts and feelings from which we derive our conceptions of who and what we are. Agents of socialization are the individuals, groups and social institutions that together help people to become functioning members of society. People are constantly engaged in the process of 'impression management'. theory of social interaction - we all play a variety of roles and audience are people observing our behaviour and responding to it

romanticize

deal with or describe an idealized or unrealistic fashion; make something seem better or more appealing than it is. It glamorizing suffering, depression and eating disorders and mental health issues thru online content is confusing the issue

6 key themes of romanticizing mental illness

1. rejecting critiquing the glamorization 2. monetization by corporate organizations 3. societal misconceptions 4. role of traditional media and social media 5. rejecting the romanticization narrative

Social media can damage mental health

Being socially connected can ease

stress, anxiety, and depression, boost self-worth, provide comfort and joy, and

prevent loneliness. Lacking social connection pose serious risk to mental health. In-person contact with others triggers hormones that alleviate stress and make you feel happier, healthier and more positive