Around a decade ago mentally ill characters on soap operas were portrayed completely different to the way they are portrayed today. They were portrayed on TV as mad, bad and dangerous to know. Recently, soap operas and dramas, including Coronation Street and EastEnders, regularly win plaudits for their sympathetic depictions of people with conditions such as bipolar disorder and depression (Goodchild, 2015). According to Goodchild (2015) the research and findings from the Glasgow Media Group indicate that mental health storylines on soap operas is having a positive impact on the public by encouraging them to discuss taboo issues openly or even seek medical help. Anti-stigma campaign Time to Change confirms that producers are moving away from
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They have had a few storylines. The first was Stacey Slater and her mother Jean having bipolar they started this ongoing story a while ago when people didn’t know much about mental health. They were then inspired to write a storyline on a real life story about a middle aged man Ian Beale getting depression and having a breakdown. Recently they have had an ex soldier Lee Carter start having the symptoms of depression again highlighting the fact that anyone can get it at anytime. Goodchild (2015) said that the “head of media for the charity Mind, Kerry put producers of the BBC soap in touch with Kevin Shepherd, who had suffered a similar crisis to Ian Beale. Kerry says Shepherd’s personal experiences inspired the scene where Ian walks down a dual carriageway in despair. Involving “real people” in script development is crucial in portraying mental illness accurately”. This is very important as it helps soap operas make their storylines as realistic as possible. Goodchild also goes on to talk about Stacey Slater, who is a character from Eastenders who has been suffering from bipolar from a young age. This was a great storyline as it started many years ago being one of the only soap storylines on mental health and having both Stacey and her mother Jean suffering from bipolar. They were starting to cover mental health illnesses in a nicer light on soap …show more content…
"For some viewers, a dramatic portrayal is the first time they may be exposed to mental health problems and when done well, soaps can be a tremendous tool in raising awareness, challenging attitudes and helping to dispel myths. In research we carried out last year we even discovered that 25% of respondents had sought professional help for their own mental health after seeing a soap character with similar issues.” (Eastenders, 2015). A current mental health storyline on Eastenders is Lee Carter’s depression. They brought this up slowly and we saw that he started to lose concentration and began to struggle with everyday life. A very touching scene was when he didn’t want to take the anti-depressants given to him by his GP and his mother on the show said, “If you had a broken arm you would take a pain killer, if you had an infection you would take antibiotics, this is no
They have had a few storylines. The first was Stacey Slater and her mother Jean having bipolar they started this ongoing story a while ago when people didn’t know much about mental health. They were then inspired to write a storyline on a real life story about a middle aged man Ian Beale getting depression and having a breakdown. Recently they have had an ex soldier Lee Carter start having the symptoms of depression again highlighting the fact that anyone can get it at anytime. Goodchild (2015) said that the “head of media for the charity Mind, Kerry put producers of the BBC soap in touch with Kevin Shepherd, who had suffered a similar crisis to Ian Beale. Kerry says Shepherd’s personal experiences inspired the scene where Ian walks down a dual carriageway in despair. Involving “real people” in script development is crucial in portraying mental illness accurately”. This is very important as it helps soap operas make their storylines as realistic as possible. Goodchild also goes on to talk about Stacey Slater, who is a character from Eastenders who has been suffering from bipolar from a young age. This was a great storyline as it started many years ago being one of the only soap storylines on mental health and having both Stacey and her mother Jean suffering from bipolar. They were starting to cover mental health illnesses in a nicer light on soap …show more content…
"For some viewers, a dramatic portrayal is the first time they may be exposed to mental health problems and when done well, soaps can be a tremendous tool in raising awareness, challenging attitudes and helping to dispel myths. In research we carried out last year we even discovered that 25% of respondents had sought professional help for their own mental health after seeing a soap character with similar issues.” (Eastenders, 2015). A current mental health storyline on Eastenders is Lee Carter’s depression. They brought this up slowly and we saw that he started to lose concentration and began to struggle with everyday life. A very touching scene was when he didn’t want to take the anti-depressants given to him by his GP and his mother on the show said, “If you had a broken arm you would take a pain killer, if you had an infection you would take antibiotics, this is no