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Carrington Dennison
Prof. L
English 111
2 Nov. 2016
Mental Health Within the Media
Media is a powerful influence in how people get information and the people take the
medias word for the information given instead of taking the time to look it up. The media
portrays mental illnesses in an awful way. There is so much more to mental illness than what the
media puts out there into shows or movies to get a good story. There is more than the extreme
cases and how intense they can be. The media doesnt always give the correct impression of
those with a mental illness and that in return makes people subconsciously connect fear and
violence with those who have a mental illness. That isnt always the way having a mental illness
goes.
The common question is: What is mental illness? and though there are many forms of
mental illness, and those forms may all have a different definition, they can all fall under this
certain definition. Mental illness refers to a wide range of mental health conditions disorders
that affect your mood, thinking and behavior. Examples of mental illness include depression,
anxiety disorders, schizophrenia, eating disorders and addictive behaviors. A mental illness can
make you miserable and can cause problems in your daily life, such as at school or work or in
relationships. ("Mental Illness - Mayo Clinic").

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There are many types of mental illnesses and not all of those types get to an extreme
point where the person diagnosed is violent and brings about fear in others. Having a chemical
imbalance in your brain can be the cause of a mental illness, such as depression. Depression has
been on the rise since 2011. In 2011 the rate of depression was 8.5% and rose to 11.1% in 2014.
("Donate To Mental Health America"). In America, one in five adults have a mental health
condition. Having a mental health issue or mental illness is more normal than what it is made out
to be.
People who are diagnosed with a mental illness can react and be affected in different
ways. There are those who do react violently and there are those people who do not. Maintaining
relationships with someone with a mental illness may prove to be a little challenging. Some
mental illnesses have effects on a persons memory and they may not remember talking to you at
all, or they could try and shut you out and not want to talk about anything or go out anywhere.
Then there are the many with a mental illness who have a hard time telling anyone about their
condition and their diagnosis. Those who are diagnosed with mental illness are, in general,
nervous and seem to be scared to talk about it because having a mental illness is frowned upon in
society because of all the negativity that mental illness is stereotyped to have.
Due to the t.v shows and movies showing having a mental illness is a negative thing there
are people who do not seek treatment in fear of what others will think of them. 64.1% of youth
with major depression do not receive any mental health treatment. (in-text citation). This issue
is especially delicate within the youth of America, going through puberty is something everyone
is doing, having trouble with a mental illness is not. The youth in America is severely impacted
by how those with a mental illness are looked upon because of the way the media stereotypes
and portrays.

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The media has characters that have a mental illness or many mental illnesses and they use
that illness to have a reason for that character being the bad guy or the murderer within the movie
or show. Playing on that, the audience, therefore, subconsciously connects mental illness with
fear. The media is what plays into the mental illness stereotypes. Many, if not all, villains that
appear within the t.v series Criminal Minds have some form of a mental illness. (Use Criminal
Minds episode(s) pinpoint exact one- to validate my point.)
Using the intense and extreme sides of mental illness is easier to make a story out of
because its easier to make that story more interesting rather than using a mild side of a mental
illness with someone who isnt violent or feared. Its understood how using the milder side of a
mental illness would be harder to make a story out of, but not if done in the right way. Making a
story about a mild version of mental illness isnt going to be hard if you take it from the
perspective of the mentally ill person and how they overcome their mental illness on a daily
basis. Showing the audience all sides and aspects of mental illness would allow for a better
understanding of the mentally ill and therefore would allow for the audience to lessen their
association with fear and mental illness(es).
1. Give examples of mentally ill patients and how they act and show that not everyone
with a mental illness has a severe case and they dont have to be feared, like those with mental
illnesses are within the media (t.v shows and movies)
Having characters with a mental illness on shows or in movies is not a bad thing, nor is it
wrong. It is bad and wrong when all that is being shown is the scary and negative sides of
mental illness. Portraying mental illness as such impacts the mentally ill community so much. It
negatively affects those with a mental illness. It affects their feelings and how they feel about

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talking to someone about what they are going through with a mental illness. By continuously
showing on a t.v show that those with mental illness commit crimes of violence and murder the
audience then connects in their mind that that is how all mentally ill people act.
If the media showed multiple viewpoints of a mental illness and the multiple ways a
person with a mental illness could act then there would not be an issue. Those with a mental
illness might feel better about admitting to their best friend or family member about their mental
health issues instead of feeling scared that their family or friend will automatically assume they
will have a break down one day and go on a killing spree.
The media should portray the mentally ill as they are and not just the severe cases that are
more commonly used to give a good story there could be a mentally ill best friend in a show
and they ARE NOT the killer or the bad guy of the t.v show or the movie. There are many
different versions of mental illness and the severity of the illness can affect some in a negative
way that is commonly shown on t.v and in movies but not every case is like that. Mental illness
is not all sunshine and daisies and that is not what the media should portray either but the media
should cover all the basis of mental illness and not just the severity of mental illnesses or only
cover the negatives. The media could make a good story out of a persevering story about a
person with a mental illness, or multiple mental illnesses and how they overcome their illness
and how they go on with their life normally.

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Works Cited
ANDERSON, M. "One Flew Over The Psychiatric Unit: Mental Illness And The Media."
Journal Of Psychiatric & Mental Health Nursing 10.3 (2003): 297-306. Academic Search
Premier. Web. 1 Nov. 2016.
Coverdale, John, Raymond Nairn, and Donna Claasen. "Depictions Of Mental Illness In Print
Media: A Prospective National Sample." Australian & New Zealand Journal Of
Psychiatry 36.5 (2002): 697-700. Academic Search Premier. Web. 1 Nov. 2016.
Quintero Johnson, Jessie M., and Bonnie Miller. "When Women Snap: The Use Of Mental
Illness To Contextualize Women's Acts Of Violence In Contemporary Popular Media."
Women's Studies In Communication 39.2 (2016): 211-227. Academic Search Premier.
Web. 1 Nov. 2016.
"Mental Illness - Mayo Clinic". Mayoclinic.org. N.p., 2016. Web. 1 Nov. 2016.
http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/mental-illness/basics/definition/con-20033813
"Donate To Mental Health America". Mental Health America. N.p., 2016. Web. 1 Nov. 2016.
http://www.mentalhealthamerica.net/donate

http://www.mentalhealthamerica.net/issues/state-mental-health-america