Most of the movies in the past twenty years haven’t treated mental health very well. From “Fatal Attraction” to “The Shining,” certain terms have been thrown around as insults when it comes to someone dealing with a mental health crisis. There has been very little care or consideration about the characters dealing with these issues, which hasn’t translated well to how people with mental issues are treated in real life.

Facing The Extremes

One of the biggest problems with popular media is that the stories centered around mental health favor the extremes. This can make it difficult to understand what someone is going through and provide help for a loved one when they need it. Madness and murder were closely linked together, leading to the stereotype that those with mental health disorders are dangerous.

The Changes In New Hollywood

The movies of the 70s and 80s took inspiration from the European movie scene where they explored the depths of the human condition. Conditions such as depression, trauma, and grief are explored more thoroughly to create more human-like, real experiences that viewers are more in touch with. It was the start of society seeing people with mental health issues as real people with real lives, instead of as “others” to be ostracized from the rest of society.

The Problem With Psycho Killers

Of course, the stereotype wasn’t completely done away with, as movies like “American Psycho” still perpetuated the idea that mental disorders made people dangerous. It expanded on this theory by including the trope of the “hysterical woman,” who was deemed to be irrational and unstable. These roles are easily dubbed “crazy” without actually pointing the finger at anything deeper or meaningful to back up said claims. It’s just something that the female character is without further analysis.

The Drama Of The Tabloids

Outside of the movies, the mental issues of celebrities have always been depicted with a broad, shallow stroke that is meant to draw readers and not actually delve into the real issues that these people might be facing. There was no sensitivity to the media that is seen today. It’s not a perfect depiction, but slowly, over time, the media has been a little more sensitive to these issues and has even managed to bring light humor to these situations so that they’re easier to digest.

Having Nuanced Representation

Mental health awareness has been big in the media over the past ten years, though at times, it can be triggering in its depictions of these subjects. Certain topics should be presented responsibly and maturely, but in a way that isn’t also offensive and seen as “torture porn” by the masses.

What’s surprising is that it’s the small screen that is taking on these stories and not big movies. Probably because the directors and producers have more leeway with the kinds of stories they want to tell, allowing them to more accurately convey mental health in a more grounded reality.

Although there have been slow changes over the decades, popular media in regard to mental health issues is much better than what it used to be. Hopefully, in time, these stereotypes and tropes can be done away with completely so that more and more people can recognize their own mental health issues and not be afraid to talk about them.