Is Depression in Popular Culture Misrepresented?
Movies and TV shows can help people understand complex topics such as mental illness. However, they may also spread misinformation about these same topics. How can a person know what is truth and fiction? Is Hollywood presenting an accurate representation of depression?
Positive Portrayals of Depression Over the Years
Writers have been including men and women with depression in scripts for decades now. Depression Alliance says the 1946 movie It’s a Wonderful Life is one of the best movies about depression. The film depicts a man ready to commit suicide and shows how life would be different if he never existed. It provides an accurate portrayal of the darkness that people struggle with when depressed and how their truths often differ significantly from reality.
One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest was released in 1975 and also accurately portrayed what depression is like for many individuals. This movie was based on the 1962 book written by Ken Kesey during a time when treatment methods for depression were limited. Many writers still incorporate depression into their scripts today. The Skeleton Twins, released in 2014, and It’s Kind of a Funny Story, released in 2010, are two modern movies that have positively addressed the topic.
Negative Portrayals of Depression in Movies and TV Shows
Very few film characters are seen struggling with a mental illness, according to the USC Annenberg Inclusion Initiative and the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. This organization conducted a study that found only 1.7% of film characters have a mental illness. Very few of these characters are depressed, only 0.4 percent. As the organization points out, this is not an accurate representation of the problem in America today because over 21 percent of American adults are diagnosed with a mood disorder during their lifetime.
Characters with mental illness are often depicted as violent or disparaged individuals. Forty-seven percent of these characters were stigmatized or dehumanized. Almost half of the characters were shown as violent men and women. These depictions have led many people to believe those who are mentally ill are a danger to society.
At times, writers trivialize depression. Viewers then don’t get a good look at how depression can affect a person’s daily life. Sadly, this problem extends beyond characters with depression. Often, mental illnesses aren’t portrayed accurately, which hurts those who have to live with these conditions daily.
Mental Health Professionals in Movies and TV Shows
Many writers also depict mental health professionals in an unfavorable. light. Some writers have them appear refined and cultivated, only for viewers to learn they are manipulative and deranged. At times, these professionals are shown to be incompetent and ineffective and a third group consists of mental health professionals who become entangled in their patients’ lives while their own lives are chaotic.
Sadly, these depictions might lead to a person not seeking treatment. On the other hand, they may have unrealistic expectations when it comes to therapy and what it can do for them. Either situation can be harmful to the individual needing help.
How Can Hollywood Do Better?
If depression is handled correctly, audiences can be entertained and enlightened. Writers and directors need to work with those who suffer from mental illness to get a better understanding of the illness and how it should be portrayed. They must consider whether unnecessary stigma is depicted and whether the condition is used for humor. Portrayals should include the person seeking help, so viewers who need this help and have yet to ask for it will be encouraged to do so.
Mental health is a subject that is often avoided. People need to talk about it more. By doing so, we can remove the stigma and get the individuals the help they need. Doing so benefits society as a whole.
