Mental health, as defined by the WHO, is a state of well-being in which a person is able to realize his or her own potential, cope with the normal stress of life, work productively, and make a contribution to the community (Halter and Varcarolis, 2014). While this is an official definition, it is not necessarily what the media and the public think of mental disorders. Mental illness is portrayed mostly negatively in the media with individuals show as dangerous, incompetent, crazy, etc.
Unfortunately, if you do not have a background in medicine or took a psychology class in school, our awareness of mental health comes from the media, whether it is an article, a news program, a TV show, or a movie. “Research suggests most media portrayals of …show more content…
Pat and Tiffany find each other, work towards a dance competition victory, and live happily ever after. Or that’s the way the movie wants you to think. That would be a great happy-ending but unfortunately that is not real life. Borderline personality disorder carries a mortality rate of about 10% and bipolar disorders have another psychiatric disorder comorbidity about 50% of the time (Halter and Varcarolis, 2014). These can be serious illnesses and I don’t think the movie goes into enough details about each …show more content…
A 2015 study shows that 18.1% of Americans suffer from some sort of mental health illness (Center for Behavioral Health Statistics and Quality, 2016). That is almost 1 out of every 5 Americans! This is such a prevalent problem in American but we are not taking care of it. When the media portrays something in a negative light, people are afraid to talk about it or worse, not seek help for their illness. Cirecie A West-Olatunji, president of the American Counseling Association and an associate professor at the University of Cincinnati has said “people with mental disorders who seek help can lead more productive lives and have better relationships” (Polatis, 2014).
Education about mental health needs to be increased, particularly in schools so people other than those in the medical field can begin to understand it. We need to remove the negative stigma about it and move forward. When people realize they are not alone—that about 20% of people have a similar problem—maybe it will give them the confidence to discuss and seek the treatment needed. Mental illness is all around us. Your boss, your brother, your neighbor could all be suffering from some form and we may never
Unfortunately, if you do not have a background in medicine or took a psychology class in school, our awareness of mental health comes from the media, whether it is an article, a news program, a TV show, or a movie. “Research suggests most media portrayals of …show more content…
Pat and Tiffany find each other, work towards a dance competition victory, and live happily ever after. Or that’s the way the movie wants you to think. That would be a great happy-ending but unfortunately that is not real life. Borderline personality disorder carries a mortality rate of about 10% and bipolar disorders have another psychiatric disorder comorbidity about 50% of the time (Halter and Varcarolis, 2014). These can be serious illnesses and I don’t think the movie goes into enough details about each …show more content…
A 2015 study shows that 18.1% of Americans suffer from some sort of mental health illness (Center for Behavioral Health Statistics and Quality, 2016). That is almost 1 out of every 5 Americans! This is such a prevalent problem in American but we are not taking care of it. When the media portrays something in a negative light, people are afraid to talk about it or worse, not seek help for their illness. Cirecie A West-Olatunji, president of the American Counseling Association and an associate professor at the University of Cincinnati has said “people with mental disorders who seek help can lead more productive lives and have better relationships” (Polatis, 2014).
Education about mental health needs to be increased, particularly in schools so people other than those in the medical field can begin to understand it. We need to remove the negative stigma about it and move forward. When people realize they are not alone—that about 20% of people have a similar problem—maybe it will give them the confidence to discuss and seek the treatment needed. Mental illness is all around us. Your boss, your brother, your neighbor could all be suffering from some form and we may never