A lot of times people who have a mental illness have stereotypes placed on them. It is a reality that mental illness is a big problem in the United States. The Center for Disease control estimates that over half of all adults will experience some sort of mental illness in their life.
Take a second to think about what you know about mental illness? Do you or someone you know suffer from a mental illness? Does a lot of what you know come from what you’ve seen on T.V.?
You may now have an image in your mind about what this person who has a mental illness would look like. If this is the case, throw that image out. The truth is that there is no standard when it comes to mental illness. There are several different types of mental illness that have different symptoms.
It is important to not lump all mental illness together. Especially when the degree of severity of mental illnesses varies so greatly.
In 2011 a lot of what is held true by popular culture comes from what is seen on television or on the internet. Television shows tend to simplify the portrayal of mental illness and stick to long-held stereotypes. A lot of times the mentally ill are shown as violent. Criminal Minds is a popular show that often addresses the issue of mental illness and violence.
Have you ever seen Criminal Minds? Or can you think of a show that has shown mental illness? Do you think that what you see on television affects the way you see the world? Even if you feel you are not influenced think of the millions of other people watching may take everything they see as fact.
The belief that people who have mental illnesses are violent has been popularized in the media. This belief does not have basis in fact. Yes, some people with mental illness become violent, but that is a very small number. How often do you see the media portraying the mentally ill in an unfair manner?
Based on what you see in the media you may be inclined to think that all people with mental illness are violent. Take a step back from this assumption. A crime show is all about entertainment. Playing up the severity of mental illness for entertainment purposes can have harmful effects, like creating a sense of fear when it comes to the mentally ill.
If the general population who has no exposure to mental illness in their own lives they may see what is on television as an accurate portrayal. I urge you to be more aware of what you see in the media.
It is necessary to inform the public that these dramatic representations are purely fiction, to educate the public about the reality of mental illness. If the public knew about positive effects of treatment maybe they would not be so afraid of those with mental illness.
There are groups, like the National Alliance on Mental Illness that provides education on the topic. They also host a Mental Illness awareness week every year. Become informed about mental illness, you will most likely encounter it in some way during your lifetime.
Help end the stigma today by realizing that not everything you see on television is true and become more aware of the stigma facing the mentally ill within our society.
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