Haywire And Schizophrenia Summary

My immediate reaction to Haywire: Children Living with Schizophrenia (2010), was disappointment because of how the media portrayed Schizophrenia, which contributes to exacerbating the stigma. This was evidenced by the insensitive use of language when phrases such as, “The innocent siblings in a psychotic world” and “Down the rabbit hole of hallucinations, for these kids and families, it’s no fairytale”, were used to spike the viewers’ interest. The broadcast seemed to provide the viewers with selective facts that enabled them portray Schizophrenia in childhood as they saw fit, but not to increase the public’s understanding of Schizophrenia in its entirety, or provide supportive ideas and resources to viewers. For example, according to Kiligus, Maxmen, & Ward (2016), …show more content…
The disorder was depicted mostly in a negative manner, focusing on the symptoms, psychotic episodes, and the children’s’ maladaptive behavior. Most of the footage addressed the clinical presentation of the diagnostic criteria, heavily focused on the delusions, hallucinations, formal thought disturbances, negative symptoms, and the distress the disorder caused in social settings. Despite those being real components to the disorder, which can be extremely challenging and devastating for those involved, the disorder is one aspect of a person’s life and is important to also address the ways in which the quality of life for the clients and those directly impacted by the disorder can improve in spite of the challenges.

My reaction to Living with Schizophrenia: A Call for Hope and Recovery (2011), was the opposite. This documentary was an enlightening, empowering, and a