Tuesday, April 18, 2017

Mental Illness in Literature and Media


With the recent release of the Thirteen Reasons Why TV series and other publications featuring characters with mental illnesses, one could hope that the world is slowly becoming more accepting and understanding.  However, I find that there is one key component that is always off gear in these types of books:  that mental illnesses are rare, that they are wrong, and if the character has one, they are broken.

Books and other media try to raise understanding of how the mind of someone who is suffering from mental disease works, and while they may succeed in doing so, they often fail at developing an understanding that people are not defined by their disorders--that they are still people.  Authors, in their endeavor to explore the disorder, often forget the person.  


This is, in part, society's fault.  It tells us that people with mental illnesses are unhinged freaks who could snap at any moment and poison the world around them.  Mental illnesses are not colds--you cannot catch them, and the people with them most likely will not be the death of you.

Do you know how common mental illness is?  One in four people in the world are affected by some sort of mental disorder.  Sadly enough, it is often ignored, or dismissed, or simply untreated.  People won't come forward about their illnesses because they are afraid of being rejected and misunderstood.  Instead of teaching acceptance, we preach disgust.  

Authors attempt to explain the why and the how behind these disorders, but first they themselves need to become aware in order to shift today's views.  I don't hold it against the writers for getting it wrong.  They attempted to explain and to raise awareness of mental illness, and at the very least, they cared enough to try.  No, it is the mindset of our cultures that is to blame.  


People are intolerant of anything that sets others apart.  It is so difficult to be accepted in the world even if you don't have something that makes you intrinsically different from others.  Whether it is mental illness, gender, religious views, sexual orientation, or even something as simple as the music you like or the color of your hair, people will always be waiting to objectify, ridicule, and shut you out.  

We cannot allow this.  We are, above all else, people, and instead of alienating others and isolating ourselves, we should learn to embrace humanity and all of its imperfections.

This is the message these books should be sending--not that having a mental disorder, that being different makes you less of a person, or that it is a thing to be romanticized. It is not okay to be, well, not okay, but it is not wrong, either. 


8 comments:

  1. I've been thinking about this topic a lot lately, especially with the release of Thirteen Reasons Why. As much as people try, mental health is always treated as "different", which sure - it is - but the more it's pointed out, the more it's setting people apart rather than accepting it.
    Agree with everything you had to say. But oh how I wish this wasn't the case, and that society as a whole could be more open minded about everything!

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    1. Exactly! If only society was a more accepting place, right? Even shows like Thirteen Reasons Why that at least TRY don't quite get it right. Anyways, thanks for commenting, Ashleigh!

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  2. This is such an important post and I agree. Mental illnesses are so often presented as being someone's whole life, not a part of a bigger picture. Everyone has mental health, just like everyone has physical health.

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    1. Aww, thanks, Rebekah! You are so right about everyone having mental health, just like physical health, and yet mental health is definitely not addressed as much.

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  3. Great post on a really important topic. So often books and TV gets it wrong. You put it all so well here though.

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    1. Thanks for commenting, Grace! This is an issue I'm really passionate about and I wish people would talk about more.

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  4. Wonderful post and I completely agree. Authors forget that the person has a life of which the illness is a part and act like the illness is life. Society too defines a person solely by the illness they have and forget that well, they're a person. people need to understand that those with mental illness are people too and they have a life too. I'd like to see a story where there is a character with mental illness where the illness is not seen as a plague or something. The problem with people is they're wary of what's different from their idea of 'normality'. Not just mental illness but as you say everything like sexual orientation, race, gender and a lot more! Again, wonderful post!

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    1. You're right, mental illness is not life, it is a part of it and authors and society too often forget that. People are not defined by it, just as people with physical illnesses are not entirely characterized by their condition. Thanks so much for commenting, Uma!

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