Student Research Guide WQ25/ How Films Shape Perceptions of Mental Health

• SCHOLARLY ARTICLE: Das, Soumitra, et al. “Psychiatry and Cinema: What Can We Learn from the Magical Screen?” Shanghai Archives of Psychiatry, vol. 29, no. 5, Oct. 2017, pp. 310–313, https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5738520/.
  • This scholarly article was published by multiple Departments of Psychiatry located throughout India. It supports the concept of cinema being an influential tool that has power in shaping society’s perspectives on important topics like mental health.

• INTERNET WEBSITE / ARTICLE: “Distorted Depictions: Popular Movies Misrepresent the Reality of Mental Health Conditions.” USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism, 29 June 2023, annenberg.usc.edu/news/research-and-impact/distorted-depictions-popular-movies-misrepresent-reality-mental-health.
  • This source was written by the Communication and Marketing Staff at USC Annenberg, a university that has a focus on the interactions of media, technology, and culture together. The article examines a study that focuses on depictions of mental health across a great number of pop culture films and explains that entertainment can shape perceptions and how film has been lacking, as well as criticism on inaccuracies or tropes within those movies. 

• OPEN SOURCE PDF / SCHOLARLY ARTICLE: Ghazali, Nor Mazlina, et al. “Exploring the Use of Films/dramas in Giving Awareness Towards Mental Illness in Society.” International Journal of Public Health Science (IJPHS), vol. 10, no. 3, 1 Sept. 2021, p. 704-712, https://doi.org/10.11591/ijphs.v10i3.20967.
  • Dr. Nor Mazlina binti Ghazali is part of the Faculty of Cognitive Sciences and Human Development at UNIMAS, a research university located in Sarawak, Malaysia. This source contributes due to its information on the empathy that participants in a study were able to feel once watching films about mental health.

• INTERNET WEBSITE: Gunning, Tom. "Making Sense of Films," History Matters: The U.S. Survey Course on the Web, Feb. 2002, http://historymatters.gmu.edu/mse/film/.
  • Tom Gunning is a professor in the Department of Art History and the Committee on Film and Media at the University of Chicago. This source had extremely helpful information on the history of cinema and the influence that it has.

• NEWS SOURCE: Nedelman, Michael. “What Shyamalan’s ‘Split’ Gets Wrong.” CNN, Cable News Network, 23 Jan. 2017, www.cnn.com/2017/01/23/health/shyamalan-split-movie-dissociative-identity-disorder/index.html.
  • This source, a report by CNN, gave an explanation of how a heavily stigmatized mental disorder, Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID) is often treated in film. It gives the perspective of mental health professionals, of those living with the disorder, and explains how the movie has changed how many see the disorder and the individual with it.

• OPEN SOURCE PDF / SCHOLARLY JOURNAL: Pieper, Katherine, et al. “Mental Health Conditions Across 300 Popular Films.” Mental Health Conditions Across 300 Popular Films: A Research Update from 2016 to 2022, USC Annenberg, June 2023, assets.uscannenberg.org/docs/aii-mental-health-2023-06-28.pdf.
  • This source is an update on research various figures related to USC Annenberg, a university that centers around journalism and communication, did on mental health across 300 different films. The records include information about what disorders/conditions were represented, who was represented (ex. across racial minorities), and more.

• SCHOLARLY JOURNAL: Startt, James D. “American Film Propaganda in Revolutionary Russia.” Prologue Magazine, vol. 30, no. 3, Fall 1998, https://www.archives.gov/publications/prologue/1998/fall/american-film-propaganda.
  • This source was written by James D. Startt, a Senior Research Professor in History at Valparaiso University. Though not focused on mental health, it gave an understanding of how influential films have been throughout history and contributed to comprehending how important the utilization of films can be.

• INTERNET WEBSITE: Tew, Sarah. “Cinema & Censorship: The Hays Code - The US Caribbean & Florida Digital Newspaper Project.” The US Caribbean & Florida Digital Newspaper Project - Expanding Access to Historical News, 27 July 2023, ufndnp.domains.uflib.ufl.edu/cinema-censorship-the-hays-code/.
  • This source was written by Sarah Tew, the project coordinator of The US Caribbean & Florida Digital Newspaper Project. This source was valuable due to its informative subject matter on the topic of censorship and explaining some of the legal details.

• INTERNET WEBSITE: “University of Virginia Library Online Exhibits: Censored: Wielding the Red Pen.” Omeka RSS, N/A, explore.lib.virginia.edu/exhibits/show/censored/walkthrough/film1.
  • This source was published by the University of Virginia as part of its online exhibit on censorship. It was vital because it offered valuable information on the history of film censorship, as well as underrepresented populations and difficulties that the film industry went through during this period.

• SCHOLARLY ARTICLE: De Witte, Melissa. “Study Finds Film Can Change Attitudes Toward Society’s Marginalized.” Stanford Report, 21 Oct. 2024, news.stanford.edu/stories/2024/10/the-transformative-power-of-film.
  • Melissa De Witte is the Deputy Director For Social Science Communications at Stanford University. This source contributed greatly to the completed research, as it provided information on how films affect preexisting stigma and ideas of what changes can be made to combat those prejudices.

• PROQUEST DATABASE: Zeilig, Hannah. "What do We Mean When We Talk about Dementia? Exploring Cultural Representations of ‘Dementia’." Working with Older People, vol. 19, no. 1, 2015, pp. 12-20. ProQuest, https://skagit.idm.oclc.org/login?url=https://www.proquest.com/scholarly-journals/what-do-we-meanwhen-talk-about-dementia/docview/1652644140/se-2.
  • ​​​​​​​​​​​​​​This source was valuable because it had thoughtful commentary and research done on the social perceptions of dementia and how those are presented in film, with one example being as a disease that must be escaped. It gave a lot to think about, especially considering how dementia and age are talked about in society, which is something touched on within the source.

 

1. "Film" AND "mental health"
2. "Mental Disorder" AND "film"
3. "Media" AND "mental health"
4. "Stigma" AND "mental health"
5. "Stigma" AND "movies"