The Portrayal of Various Psychological Disorders - Essay Example

? Apply and Discover Apply and Discover Media is rich in the portrayal of various psychological disorders. These portrayals however sometimes fail in accuracy which leads to the misinformation of the audience. These erroneous portrayals are also known as psychomedia. Psychomedia is “the combined effect of exploitation movies and biased news reports which stereotype mental health recipients leading to the implied conclusion that all people labeled mentally-ill are violent and deranged” (Mental Health Stigma, 2009). These inaccurate renderings often lead to the negative reactions towards people with psychological disorders. Damaging depictions of people who suffer from mental illness are seen in movies and television shows. These have led to some misconceptions about people who are mentally ill. One of the misconception that media has helped develop is that people who have psychological disorders are violent (Tartakovsky, 2009). According to Tartakovsky, this is not necessarily true, as research has shown that other variables may trigger violence such as substance abuse, history of violence, demographic variables, and presence of stressors (2009). Several movies or television shows illustrate dangerous crimes being committed by people who have psychological disorders. Another myth perpetuated by media about people with mental illness is that these people are unpredictable. This is not exactly accurate because majority of these people go through their lives normally. They go to work and enjoy life, according to Dr. Wahl (Tartakovsky, 2009). People with psychological disorders do not get better (Tartakovsky, 2009). This is another misconception promoted by media. There are some movies which showed that treatment for mental disorders are ineffective. These media-driven stereotypes of people with mental disorders are perpetuated through various ways. Foremost among these is the widespread belief whereby “the stereotype is argued to be true because it is widely held to be true” (Mental Health Stigma, 2009). The second method which drives the majority to label people with psychological disorders is the use of prejudicial language where a “negative value or moral judgement is attached to the stereotype” (Mental Health Stigma, 2009). The third manner by which people with mental disabilities are stereotyped is through intentional exclusion wherein anything that could disprove the stereotyping is intentionally omitted. The fourth option which media takes to stereotype a mentally-challenged individual is having misleading generalizations which are not representative of the population as a whole. Lastly, the use of emotional appeal is often adopted by media to entice people to agree through the emotions rather than on facts. An example of a movie which portrayed a person with a mental illness is “A Beautiful Mind”. It is a true story about John Nash, a mathematician who suffers from schizophrenia. It was an accurate portrayal because it showed the constant struggle of people suffering from schizophrenia as they experience hallucinations which distract them. The film revealed that schizophrenics have a difficulty in determining what is real and what a delusion is. It is believed that the qualities of a schizophrenic that was shown in the film is representative of a lot of schizophrenics. The treatment for schizophrenia which was tackled in the film is truthful since it illustrated the use of antipsychotic medications. As demonstrated in the movie, when Nash stopped taking his antipsychotic medication, he suffered from a relapse of his psychosis which made his condition worse. This is really what happens in real life when a schizophrenic suddenly stops his medication, instead of it being tapered off gradually (National Institute of Mental Health, 2011). Another movie which depicted a psychological disorder is the “Rain Man”. It featured Raymond Babbitt, an autistic savant who has been in a mental institution since his childhood. A major aspect in the movie which one believes is not accurate is that of placing an autistic person in a mental institution especially if they are high functioning, as in the case of Raymond. In reality, most autistic persons live with their families. What is interesting in the movie is that it illustrated common characteristics of autistic persons. It showed how autistics react to abrupt changes in their routines as exhibited by Raymond when he could not watch his favorite television show. He was almost throwing a tantrum because of his disappointment. The film is realistic in presenting the qualities of an autistic person such as the inability of eye contact and not being able to have a real conversation with another person, including his own brother. It was truthful in showing that autistics do not develop any emotional or social attachment. The movie was also able to demonstrate one interesting quality of an autistic which is that of exhibiting signs of savantism (Shah, 2008). This was shown in the part where Raymond was able to help Charlie win in a black jack game through Raymond’s counting of the cards. The characteristic of some autistics as having a very sharp memory was honestly portrayed by Raymond as shown in his being able to memorize half a telephone book in the evening and doing unusually quick multiplication of numbers (Dawes, 1988). The reactions of Charlie on Raymond’s idiosyncrasies are very typical of how ordinary people react to autistics. People often get irritated or impatient in dealing with autistics, as shown by Charlie. This movie may be useful in helping other people become more aware of the psychological disorder that is autism. The film however was viewed by some critics as detrimental to the autistic community. According to Smith, “Rain Man” was geared towards “how an institution is a safer location than the street for both the patient and the public despite the loss of individual freedom, especially when comparing the good folk of the mental institutions to the dominating, abusive parents” (Solomon, n.d.). As receivers of information from media, it is essential that one is able to recognize the myths and truths about psychological disorders. Tartakovsky suggests strategies on how one can do this. First, one should determine the motives of the producers and see if they have any vested interest in the viewpoint that they take (Tartakovsky, 2009). She goes on further to say that in watching or reading the news, crimes committed by persons with a mental illness should be considered as something “out of the ordinary” rather than a hasty generalization. Tartakovsky also stated that news on studies about mental illness must be scrutinized well (2009). It is essential that other sources of information be sought upon, instead of just relying on a single source. Psychological disorders are not abnormalities which people should look down upon. Society must learn to respect the rights of people with mental illnesses and try to appreciate and understand them. The media has a major role in espousing the truth about mental disorders; thus, it must be careful not to taint the image of these special people. Media must reduce the stigma that has been attached to people with psychological disorders. It must try to render a positive influence on the minds of the people with regards to persons with mental disorders. References Dawes, A. (1988, December 13). Rain Man. Retrieved December 19, 2011, from Variety Web site: http://www.variety.com/index.asp?layout=review&reviewid=VE1117488019&categoryi d=31&query=rain+man&display=rain+man&cs=1 Mental Health Stigma. (2009). What is psychomedia? Retrieved December 20, 2011, from mentalhealthstigma.com Web site: http://mentalhealthstigma.com/ National Institute of Mental Health. (2011, December 15). How is schizophrenia treated? Retrieved December 19, 2011, from National Institute of Mental Health Web site: http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/schizophrenia/how-is-schizophrenia- treated.shtml Shah, S. (2008, January 9). Autism and savant syndrome. Retrieved December 19, 2011, from Serendip Web site: http://serendip.brynmawr.edu/exchange/node/1805 Solomon, J. (n.d.). Changes in perspectives of high-functioning autism through "Rain Man". Retrieved December 19, 2011, from duke.edu Web site: http://www.duke.edu/~jds31/Papers/autism.html Tartakovsky, M. (2009, July 22). Media's damaging depictions of mental illness. Retrieved December 20, 2011, from Psych Central Web site: http://psychcentral.com/lib/2009/medias-damaging-depictions-of-mental-illness/all/1/ Read More