The document summarizes information from 10 sources about how mental illness is portrayed in various media formats such as films, television shows, books, and video games. Some of the key points made across the sources include: that mental illness is often negatively depicted through stereotypical portrayals of mentally ill characters as villains or through linking mental illness to violence; controversial shows like 13 Reasons Why and films are criticized for their handling of sensitive topics like suicide and trauma; and some sources also highlight films and media that offer more positive and accurate representations of mental illness.

1. Extensive Research
Harriet Smith

2. Source 1
This is an article titled “How cinema stigmatizes mental illness” from the website “BBC Culture”. The article
goes on to explain how the film industry portrays mental illness in films and how those kinds of characters
are seen as the villains. The article talks about a film called “Mad to Be Normal”, which is a biopic of a man
named RD Laing who is a psychologist who had unconventional ideas about treatment for mental illness.
They describe him as “a complex and charismatic figure, who earned fame from his radical, empathetic
treatment of mental illness”. The article helped me to understand other perspectives of ‘mental illness in
cinema/television and books’, from their use of information and sources they gathered as well as explaining
as to why the portray of mental health is important. I learned a lot about Laing and how he coped with his
own mental illnesses as well as trying to help others. The article states that “he argued that traditional
society was “driving our children mad”’. From the article we’re able to see others perspectives as to how
they portray mental health and how they disagree with how other masses, such as the film industry and the
media, see mental illness. Additionally, this article references multiple films/television series that portray a
more positive view of mental illness and praises it.
https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20180828-how-cinema-
stigmatises-mental-illness
Arwa Haider. (28th August, 2018)

3. Source 2 This is an article titled “Ways Mental Illness is Commonly
Misrepresented in the Media” from the website “ICANotes”. The
article goes onto explain how the media portrays mental illness
in a ‘negative way’ and states “and this, in turn, affects the way
we view mental illness”. The article goes on to explain that
people rely on media “as their main source of information” and
states that it is, most of the time, inaccurate. This website
showed me yet another aspect and how they see the media and
film industry in a more negative light and how they “create a
false picture of what mental illness really is”. The article
references two films called ‘Shutter Island’ (released in 2010)
and ‘A Beautiful Mind’ (released in 2001), which were analyzed
for their depiction of schizophrenia within their main characters.
It goes on to tell that the two films included schizophrenic
characters that acted out in violence toward others or self-
inflicted violence.
The article also references research published by the ‘American
Psychological Association (APA)’, talking about crimes/acts of
violence committed by those with serious mental illness
disorders, stating that “only 7.5% were directly related to
mental illness symptoms”. Upon doing further research into
this, I found that the information that they had found was
correct and was found from a study by the APA. From this article
we learn that the mass media has a form of large influence
toward how people view certain beliefs/stereotypes.

4. Source 2 - Continued
The article references a news report centered around a man named ‘Nikolas Cruz’, a man who was accused
of a mass shooting in Florida in February 2018 who, as the article and news report claim, had a history of
mental illness. A U.S. Representative Speaker, Paul Ryan (as seen in the article, which confirms this
information to be correct), stated “Mental health is often a big problem underlying these tragedies”. The
article helps us to see how a large majority of the general public is influenced greatly from the mass media,
which is shown through their use of references toward research studies, films that are centered around
mental health issues and even news reports that link to similar situations. Additionally these sorts of articles
help to inform us about such a sensitive and a largely spoken about topic such as mental health.
https://www.icanotes.com/2018/04/11/ways-mental-illness-is-commonly-misrepresented-in-the-media/
‘sandy’. (April 11th, 2018).

5. Source 3
The popular Netflix show ‘13 Reasons Why’ based on the 2007 Jay
Asher novel has sparked controversy over the years since it’s initial
release on 31st March, 2017. When researching I found multiple
articles that spoke about the same sort of similar issue around the
series, the main problem being how they handle the use of mental
illness surrounding the main cast. The article states “it was
supposed to be a show to get people talking about teen suicide,
bullying, sexual assault and more”. An example of this being the
main female character, ‘Hannah Baker’, who was a victim of all of
the above and created a series of tapes that were delivered to the
people she thought that played the role in her decision to take her
own life. However, as the article states; “there is no positive
modeling for a show that is issue-based’. Another example of this
is presented in the article when they talk about the adults of the
show, stating that they “are all so self-involved or absent they
have no clue what their children are up to”. A good way to
promote a show that talks about these sorts of issues is through
honesty and open communications, rather than lying and keeping
secrets which is something that is constant in the show. The show
advertises itself to get people to acknowledge and gain some form
of understanding around mental health and other issues which,
unfortunately, fails to do because of how the execute these
themes with their problematic characters and plot.
Overall the article showed me how important it is to understand the narrative behind sensitive topics such
as mental health when they’re implemented into films/books. I also think it’s important to know about the
intended audience for shows that talk about subjects such as mental health e.g. 13 Reasons Why was
intended for teenagers/young adults (18-20), which should help them to focus on factors that not only
appeal to that audience but help them understand why mental health is such an important thing.

6. Source 3 – Article Link and References
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/13-reasons-why-13-reasons-why-is-
dangerously-problematic_b_590b6df9e4b046ea176ae8e2
Sezín Koehler. (5th April, 2017).

7. Source 4 https://www.polygon.com/2014/7/21/5923095/mental-
health-gaming-silent-hill Patrick Lindsey (July 21st, 2014).
The article talks about another genre that portrays mental health in a more negative aspect is the genre of
gaming. The article states “One of the most destructive aspects of mental illness is that it is invisible.
There is no obvious physical condition that someone is struggling with a mental health concern”. From
this article and others that I had found when doing research, I found that not only are sensitive issues like
mental health and other concerns are commonly betrayed in a more negative light in films/books and even
television series’, they can also be depicted poorly in video games as well. The article claims that horror is a
strong theme centered around mental health when it comes to video games. The reason as to why this
occurs so frequently in modern-day television and even video games is because of the strong stereotype
that characters suffering from mental illnesses are depicted as the ‘villain’ of the story. The article states
“these kinds of characters are dehumanized, portrayed as mental disorders embodied and wrapped in
ostensibly human packaging”, which helps to further supports that point. The article goes into extra detail
around how mental illness is portrayed badly in video games. The article references ‘The Silent Hill’ series,
which “famously uses monsters to symbolize the insecurities, shames and fears held by the characters”.
The writer believes that rather “steering a hapless victim around a haunted house”, the game should
focus more around the characters journey and their own self-exploration. This would help the player be
able to sympathize more with the character, rather than throwing them into a stereotype. From this I was
able to learn that writing and the narrative of the story is what really helps to portray a character, rather
than just having them being only acknowledged a mental illness they can’t help.

8. Source 5
The article states that much like the controversial Netflix television series ‘13 Reasons Why’ this film, ‘All the
Bright Places’, is similar with struggling to handle mental illness within a cutesy teen romance movie.
Although this article talks about issues similar to those with 13 Reasons Why they state “the film handles
these kinds of issues more responsibly than “13 Reasons Why”’. This film focuses more around the darker
themes of suicide and trauma, rather than just implementing them into a teen-drama series with other
issues surrounding it. The film follows around two teenagers who fall in love in the midst of dealing darker
themes like suicide and trauma. The film handles more sensitive subjects wisely by avoiding mistakes they
made during the other series, such as including ‘graphic scenes’ that could trigger younger viewers. The
article claims that the film “abruptly changes its tone from light to devastating, and the film’s characters
are watered down compared to the original book”, which is a statement that I am able to agree with after
not only reading the original book but also recently watching the film. By reading this article I was able to
understand how film adaptations differ greatly from their original source. I think that films/television series
adaptations tend to leave out parts of the original due to two main reasons. 1) The scene could include
aspects that aren’t appropriate for the intended audience they are trying to appeal to. 2) A scene might be
difficult to adapt, so they may just scrap it entirely. This is the same for a lot of adaptations from famous
books into films/television series’. The popular book/film series ‘Harry Potter’ written by J.K. Rowling is
another example of this.
https://www.insider.com/all-the-bright-places-review-
2020-3 Abby Monteil. (March 5th, 2020)

9. Source 6
Upon doing research I found an article that is written by people who have had personal experiences with
mental illness as they talk about some of the ways mental health has been portrayed in the media, including
TV and newspaper articles. This article focuses on raising awareness of how they’re encountered and dealt
with their mental health and how the media can help change these attitudes.
There article contains a large number of paragraphs
written by people of the general public. An example
shows someone who talks about how they were
afraid to speak about their mental health due to
lack of knowledge as well as how “it was never
spoken about”. This is most likely the writer
inferring that they had never seen anything
written/watched anything that has to do with
mental health and/or other serious issues. From
reading this and various other written ‘messages’, I
was able to see people direct thoughts centered
around delicate topics such as mental health.

10. Source 7
As the title suggests, this website talks about the younger generation and how social media can
have/has had an impact on mental health. It talks about various researches that have been
conducted and the website states “it is thought that addiction to social media affects around 5% of
young people” according to the ‘studies’ and ‘experiments’ that have taken place. Additionally the
writer also talks about the potential danger of the younger generations mental health when using
social media. The writer also references a study conducted by The University of Glasgow and found
“that young people found it difficult to relax following night time social media use, reducing their
brains ability to sleep”, which could lead to those people losing sleep and even resulting in
developing eye strain due to the amount of time spent staring at their screen.
It goes on to talk about “The Concept of Fear” (FOMO) which, upon doing further research, is “the
anxiety or motivation social media users feel when they want to belong to some group, event or
even a moment that others are posting about” by definition. The website helps to define FOMO
and how we’re able to link this to our own lives and makes you question how you use social media.
It also helps by giving examples as to how FOMO can start to take place and/or rather just giving a
simple example of FOMO on social media. The writer views social media in a negative sort of light
stating “online platforms may also have the potential to damage mental wellbeing through
promoting unreasonable expectations”.
https://www.centreformentalhealth.org.uk/blogs/anxiety-loneliness-and-fear-
missing-out-impact-social-media-young-peoples-mental-health
Rhys Edmonds

11. Source 8
https://www.nami.org/Blogs/NAMI-Blog/December-2017/The-Best-
Movies-About-Mental-Health
Luna Greenstein (December 20th. 2017)
Mental illness in the film/television industry is not always portrayed badly. An article I found states
a list of films that include the aspect of mental health. The title suggests that these are “The Best
Movies about Mental Health”. The article beings by explaining that the ‘mental health’ is slowly
becoming a more common theme for Hollywood to depict in the film industry. However the article
also claims that “sometimes these movies show mental illness in a way that is inaccurate or
stigmatizing”. Films that feature mental illness can be difficult to depict if those who haven’t lived
with these kinds of experiences try to make it. The article talk about 9 films in total, also giving a
small synopsis as to what the film is about. One of the films mentioned is the 2015 animated film
‘Inside Out’, a children's film. This film is a good example as to both creating an entertaining film to
watch with your family but also discussing the important of mental health in younger people. Upon
doing further research into this movie I found yet another article that talks about this movie as a
whole and why it’s a good movie that handles mental illness in a good way. The article states “this
film is just great for children to help work out their emotions, but also for adults to get an inside
into how their m=children may be feeling on the inside”.

12. Source 8 – Other References
https://www.chrysaliscourses.ac.uk/news/inside-out-and-its-message-about-
child-mental-health

13. Source 9 https://inclusivecinema.org/home/childrens-mental-
health-week/
This website talks about ‘Children’s Mental Health Week’, which helps to show the importance of
children and younger people’s mental health. The article references a film titled “System Crasher”,
a film about a 9-year-old girl named Benni who keeps getting expelled from one foster home after
another due to her uncontrollable aggression. The story follows Benni going from foster home to
foster home, eventually being given an anger management trainer to help her. The film is
supported by ‘The Association of Child Protection Professionals’, a company that provides support
and development for those working in child protection and safeguarding. The article gives a
synopsis about the film and goes on to explain why the film may appeal to not only to fans of
“European cinema” but also those who are interested in mental health, those who may suffer
from mental health and younger audiences. Having a film that is able to appeal to more than one
type of specific audience is good because it shows that the film is not only well made enough to
draw in a variety of different people but also shows that people have some for on interest in a
certain type of film like this.

14. Source 10
This article from the ‘Metro’ talks about mental health and how Hollywood portrays those with these
kinds of conditions as the ‘villains’, which also include examples. The writer states “For more than
100 years, filmmakers have lazily linked mental illness with violent behavior”. Mental health has
slowly become a more common theme in recent years, ranging from coming-of-age teen romance to
psychological horror films. However a common theme I found when researching is that most people
view these kinds of films in a negative light due to the lack of understanding and experience when
dealing with/creating characters that cope with mental illness. The article gives us 14 different films
that ‘highlight’ mental illness however don’t us any information as to what was bad about the film
and next to no explanation about how the film handled mental illness ‘incorrectly’. An example of
this is ‘Halloween (1978 onwards)’. The article gives us the title of the film and just states; “A series
of films about a mentally ill man who gets all stabby”.
The article overall isn’t well layed out. It consists of a list of 14 films with a basic synopsis
underneath, giving us no clue as to why the films are developed poorly or why they represent mental
illness poorly. Another example of a basic synopsis used is for the film ‘Henry: Portrait Of a Serial
Killer (1990)’. The synopsis states; “A faux documentary about a mentally ill man who gets all
stabby”, which sounds similar to example expressed previously. The overall theme of the article is
good since it’s a topic that can be quite controversial however gives us next to no explanation as to
why these films are bad.
https://metro.co.uk/2017/11/01/hollywood-made-monsters-of-the-mentally-
ill-and-here-are-14-films-that-prove-it-7041227/
Carrie Marshall (November 1st, 2017)

15. Source 11
https://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/your-
stories/improving-representations-of-mental-health-on-tv/
Jenni Regan (January 19th, 2018)
This article talks about the representations of mental heath in film/TV and how it can be improved
upon. It opens with a statement talking about a common stereotype of someone depicted with a
mental illness in either film and/or television, stating; “They’d usually be the strange outsider who’d
appear in an episode, hurt or kill a much loved character and end up being dragged away to be
locked up in a mental institution for life”. The article goes on to talk about an event that took place
at the House of Commons with the cast of Hollyoaks, talking about how a storyline featured in the
show helped young people who had been self-harming.
The article references a public poll that was made to discuss mental health storylines in film/TV
stating; “50% of people said that watching a soup or drama featuring a character with a mental
health problem had increased their understanding. However, almost the same percentage said
that schizophrenia is more negatively portrayed than other mental health problems”.

16. Source 12 https://health.usnews.com/health-news/health-
wellness/articles/2015/04/16/how-mental-illness-is-misrepresented-in-
the-media
Kirstin Fawcett (April 16th, 2015)
This article talks about mental illness and how it can be misrepresented in the mass media. The
article references a variety of different sources including research studies stating; “Research also
suggests most media portrays of mental illness are stereotypical, negative or flat-out-wrong”.
Much like other articles I have found when researching, this article also states that the mass media
also views mental illness in a more negative light. The article also references a film called “Silver
Linings Playbook”, a film that also includes aspects of mental illness.
The overall article is well written and well informed. It also includes a wide variety of sources and
materials used e.g. using examples of films/TV and characters to help prove their point when talking
about certain things.