5 Series and Movies That Actually Portray Mental Illness Well. It’s not something that can be easily fixed or suddenly disappear, and although 21st-century media is steadily becoming more open-minded and realistic in its portrayal and understanding of mental health, there’s still stigma surrounding mental disorders. Thirteen Reasons Why has captured the minds and time of its viewers since its release in 2017. Another one of the most referenced examples of a show romanticizing mental illness is the highly controversial Netflix original “13 Reasons Why” about a young girl who sent out cassette tapes after committing suicide and blaming people for why she took her life. Tate Langdon, one of the most notable characters of the TV series “American Horror Story” (AHS), is portrayed as a sociopath, but the mistake of the first season of AHS was depicting the condition as something poetic and tragically beautiful for aesthetic purposes, going as far as having Langdon shoot up a school in skull makeup and slicked-back hair. Her death seems to play out as more of a revenge plot than anything else. The misleading perception of the New Year’s resolution, Being comfortable with failure is a valuable skill, CIF Southern Section cancels fall sports championships, FVHS English teacher Joseph Barro publishes children’s book ‘The Astronaut’s Whale’, Here are the Biden Administration’s goals for education. Netflix’s series “13 Reasons Why” has been a critical success but some mental health experts fear the show could glorify teen suicide for those on the edge. 5 mins read. Thirteen Reasons Why has captured the minds and time of its viewers since its release in 2017. Generation Z: The End of Respecting Elders? However, through the long process of destigmatizing mental illness, the movement has drastically changed towards a trend of romanticizing mental illness. Personally, I partly blame the media. I must have been around twelve or thirteen years old; a time when I became more affiliated with social media. From Seventeen. Mental illness is something many people experience and is increasingly apparent in our youth today. And it’s true, people who suffer from mental illness have been known to create beautiful things, but so have people without mental illness. This prevalent problem came into the spotlight following the release of a popular albeit equally disturbing show called ‘13 reasons why’. Author Lucy Greenstein wrote an article on NAMI explaining the failing of the show. After the recent news of suicides of Kate Spade and Anthony Bourdain there has been a tremendous amount of discussion about mental illness, the stigmas attached to it and the need to address the struggles of people going through them.. The show continues to have a following of young teenagers obsessed with Langdon on social media years after the first season ended. While some people are reposting these type of messages to get sympathy and attention, others will see it as the only viable option for them, which is extremely dangerous. “13 Reasons Why” is a prime example of mainstream media portraying mental illness. Other local schools in the area such as Mount Saint Jos... Honeybun Smackers Brings A New Flare to Catonsville Breakfast. A mental illness itself isn’t beautiful, it … Goodfellas alum Debi Mazar blasted Netflix series 13 Reasons Why on Monday for 'romanticizing suicide' and giving her 12-year-old daughter Giulia Isabel 'bad ideas.' 2004 CHS alumna Dr. Claire Cunniff recently received a distinguished graduate award for her success in the medical field. When 13 Reasons Why aired, researchers at San Diego University in California found that the series had boosted searches for suicide by 19 per cent (roughly 1.5 … Kayla Hoang: Business and Managing Editor, increase in self-harm and suicide rates in teenagers, FVHS counseling and student support staff, Increasing representation in the theater community, We need to change our grading system to fit the pandemic. I spent a lot of time and effort on this video and I am super proud of it. However, through the long process of destigmatizing mental illness, the movement has drastically changed towards a trend of romanticizing mental illness. Posted on March 1, ... mental illness and suicide continues to be romanticized in the media. Catonsville has many opportunities for students to form new interests, have new hobbies, even create a pathway for a new... For decades, CHS students have wanted a men’s volleyball team. The show dramatizes suicide and depression, focusing on blaming others instead of providing resources, including counselors and parents, to help. Characters with mental illness are portrayed as flawed, beautiful Mental health issues are real, and they ruin lives. The movie introduced the common use of the word “psycho” when describing someone with a mental disorder, which contributed to the stigma of mental illnesses. Movies or series like ‘Skins’ and ‘13 Reasons Why’ often romanticize mental illness, which affects viewers negatively. 13 Reasons Why takes a shot at the reality of mental illness as well as romanticizes the harsh reality of suicide. Shows like ‘13 Reasons Why’ should not glorify suicide (Instagram). TV shows or movies often romanticize or stigmatize mental illness. I am a Republican. Entertainment media that choose to portray mental illness or conditions should take more effort into understanding what they are depicting to a potentially impressionable audience, including consulting with professionals and those who have experienced a mental disorder, or use their platforms to spread accurate information when discussing mental health. The show received a mixture of reviews and reactions from its viewers, still, the teen drama’s depictions of high school life and mental illness in youth are inaccurate, any mental health professional would confirm that. Mass media platforms, like 13 Reasons Why, need to be aware of how they are reporting suicide because it can create a contagion effect that leads to an increase in suicide attempts among adolescents with mental illness that believe suicide is the only way for things to get better in their lives (Sudak 497-498). The Alfred Hitchcock classic “Psycho,” for example, is a movie that started the trend of later slasher films involving violent murderers under the guise of mental disorders, such as the “Halloween” franchise or “Silence of the Lambs.”. Soon It Will Be Our Turn to Inherit the World, Why Gen Z Might Not See a Light at the End of the Tunnel. The media tend to portray depression as being dark and mysterious. The new Netflix series "13 Reasons Why" has stirred not only important conversations about teen suicide but also some controversy, according to mental health experts. Not only does this popular Netflix show romanticize mental illness, but it portrays it an inaccurate light. 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