How Does Romanticizing Mental Illness Affect Teenagers

Effects of Romanticizing Mental Illness on Teenagers
There are numerous images depicting a false attitude toward mental illness in today’s media. Many individuals posting on social media are not suffering from any mental issues. The modern media is glamorizing mental illness which has a substantial effect on teenagers. Books and movies portray mental illness as a blessing. Romanticizing mental illness gives a false sense of the real life difficulties of those facing these disorders. The media glamorization of mental illness leads to the issue not being taken seriously.
Books and movies often portray mental illness as a blessing. Characters find soulmates and unrealistic answers to problems as a result of the mental illness. Movies and books show mental illness as a way to find love: it is gift someone has been given, which is very rarely the case. Modern moviegoers are led to think that if the mentally ill find a similarly troubled person then everything will work out ideally without worries or concerns (Erica Goode). The final step is self-care. Many people with mental illness lack the motivation, sanity or …show more content…
Mental illness is becoming mainstream and creates a distorted image of what is actually going on, and can have a negative impact on someone who has an illness (Stella Braly). Many people today believe that people who suffer with a mental health issue, are exaggerating how they feel. There is a big difference between thinking one has and actually having a mental illness. Take depression as an example, while anyone can feel sad or lonely, depression is not about feeling sad all the time. Depression is the suppression of feelings of sadness, anger or even happiness that causes people to not to feel themselves (Jianne Soriano). This is what leads to mental illness’ being taken lightly, the ramifications of the disorders and believing it is not an