In the SPOTLIGHT

Mental Health Representation in the Media and PWDF’s Role

By: Laurence Jones, PWDF Education Program Coordinator This fall, PWDF was pleased to come across an article in Rolling Stone magazine, From ‘OITNB’ to ‘Lady Dynamite’: TV’s Mental Health Revolution, which covers more diverse portrayals of mental health struggles in popular entertainment. Many media representations in the past relied on broad, harmful stereotypes that rarely gave realistic portrayals of the lives of those with mental health struggles. Designed to shock and scare those dealing with mental health issues from mainstream society, these portrayals established a rather inhumane vision of an aspect of life and promoted negative stereotypes. Some ways that mental illness is misrepresented in the media include: • People with mental illnesses are more criminal or violent than those without mental disorders. • People with mental illnesses look different than others. • People with mental illnesses are childish and silly. • Mental illnesses are all severe – or all alike. Beyond fictionalized entertainment, PWDF notes that there are opportunities for growth in the field of journalism as well. Most citizens receive updates on breakthroughs in research, concerns surrounding care, and day-to-day narratives about mental health from print and broadcast journalism. In a majority of these avenues, fact or fiction, mental health challenges have been, and still often are, glossed over by broad stereotypes lacking nuance. Without diverse, more nuanced portrayals in the most easily accessed information on mental health, PWDF has concerns that the less realistic the portrayals in media are, the more the stereotype is perpetuated. For example, a hallmark of psychosis is hallucinations; however, while the media may more often portray hallucinations as visual, it is more common for people with psychosis to experience hallucinations as auditory. [¹] While the news media industry’s evolution on realistically portraying mental health disorders is slow, there has been progress recently. For example, in 2013, the Associated Press added an entry on mental illness to its Stylebook to help journalists write about mental illness fairly and accurately. At the time, Senior Vice President and Executive Editor Kathleen Carroll said: “It is the right time to address how journalists handle questions of mental illness in coverage. This isn’t only a question of which words one uses to describe a person’s illness. There are important journalistic questions, too. When is such information relevant to a story? Who is an authoritative source for a person’s illness, diagnosis and treatment? These are very delicate issues and this Stylebook entry is intended to help journalists work through them thoughtfully, accurately and fairly.”  [²] PWDF applauds the higher level of accountability in the press. Hollywood; however, has been far slower to catch up to the rigors of fact finding. According to Rolling Stone, recent examples from Monk, Two and a Half Men, and Glee have portrayed mental health struggles with neurosis and eating disorders unrealistically and in woeful stereotypes. The article reports that according to the National Institute of Mental Health, “anxiety disorders affect over 40 million American adults, approximately 18% of the population, and 14.8 million live with Major Depressive Disorder, making up 6.7%.” [³] With the level of reach that popular television has, it is a vital venue for accurate portrayals of mental health struggles, particularly in ways that do use false stereotypes to engender stigma and discrimination. On a localized and national front, PWDF advocates and educates with a goal of more accurate understanding of mental disorders, including portrayals in media. PWDF’s training activities, whether through our videos or workshops offered to the public, provide accurate and holistic representation of mental health issues and easy-to-implement solutions. PWDF welcomes organizations that seek our expertise on fair media representations of mental health challenges. We can be reached by email at education@pwdf.org for further details. As the Rolling Stone article highlights, PWDF appreciates the more diverse and accurate portrayals of mental disorders that have arisen on television and in film in recent years. PWDF hopes that moving forward, the more realistic portrayals take hold as new frontiers regarding visibility in media. In the years coming, PWDF advocates for even more nuanced and compassionate portrayals of mental health in media, whether fact or fiction.

PWDF Profile

Who We Are

People With Disabilities Foundation is an operating 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization based in San Francisco, California, which focuses on the rights of the mentally and developmentally disabled.

Services

Advocacy: PWDF advocates for Social Security claimant’s disability benefits in eight Bay Area counties. We also provide services in disability rights, on issues regarding returning to work, and in ADA consultations, including areas of employment, health care, and education, among others. There is representation before all levels of federal court and Administrative Law Judges. No one is declined due to their inability to pay, and we offer a sliding scale for attorney’s fees.

Education/Public Awareness: To help eliminate the stigma against people with mental disabilities in society, PWDF’s educational program organizes workshops and public seminars, provides guest speakers with backgrounds in mental health, and produces educational materials such as videos.

Continuing Education Provider: State Bar of California MCLE, California Board of Behavioral Sciences Continuing Education, and Commission of Rehabilitation Counselor Certification.