The purpose of this guide is to explore the impacts films have on people's views of mental health.
The research thesis of this guide is to convey that film is a compelling medium that can move its audience, and, when used properly, can be a key tool in shifting perspectives, increasing awareness, and challenging stigma, hence making the portrayal of mental health through cinema greatly important.
This guide was written to highlight the importance of mental health and how its representations, in this case, in film, impact various perspectives in society. It's valuable to be able to recognize the impacts that media has on its audiences and how it can be efficiently utilized. There is a plethora of stigma that surrounds mental illnesses and that influences those living with the disorders both indirectly and directly. There has been a lack of spotlight on proper representation, with inaccurate depictions of mental disorders broadcasted that create more bias and prejudice than understanding and empathy. This gathered research proposed the question of how portrayals in film impacted perceptions of mental health in society, opening a discussion on the influence of both cinema as a medium and of fictional representations of mental health. Both the research and the paper were done by analyzing sources found through a variety of sources centering around mental health and films and finding the ways in which their theses connected. It was found that media has a large impact on how mental disorders are seen and that there are multiple patterns that depict mental illness as a concept to be laughed about and dismissed among other similar attitudes. Portrayals in film have indeed impacted perceptions of mental health in society. Movies have the altered perceptions on individuals with mental health disorders for better and for worse, hence why the quality of these portrayals matter. There should be greater strides moving forward to display mental disorders in more accurate ways in movies. Representation is important, and the work should be put into films to do it justice. Research will always be needed, as theories and findings in psychology are constantly changing, as are people's perceptions and the art of film.
Cinema has become a major part of pop culture across the globe. Movies have been used for various purposes that all illustrate their ability to impact individuals and alter their perspectives. Films have been an integral part of history in both its darker and more glamorous periods. Nowadays, movies still have great influence on their audience. Due to this, films can be used to raise awareness for societal issues and to inspire change.
Mental health is an important subject that is often shown through inaccurate representations. A significant example is Split (2016), which characterizes dissociative identity disorder (DID) in a way that further stigmatizes it. The film, advertised as a thriller, sensationalizes DID, portraying a character with the disorder as having a violent, monstrous identity that feeds into harmful stereotypes with the goal of adding shock value to the plot. The controversy of Split has sparked discussion among mental health professionals, as well as those with the disorder. The presentation and approach to subject matter such as mental disorders are crucial due to its effects on the real world.
This image is an update on research various figures related to USC Annenberg did on characters with mental health conditions across 300 popular movies. It shows the general attitudes that these characters were met with within their respective film, which is vital to understanding the importance of the ways in which mental health is represented within cinema, as well as how it affects real-life people.
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.
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