The Portrayal of Mental Illnesses in Literature & Media

Kellie MartelMalerie Dooling

Peter Choi

What is psychological abnormality?Field devoted to the study of abnormal behaviorGoals are to understand and treat abnormal patterns

of functioningDeviant, distressful, dysfunctional, and dangerous

What is treatment?Procedure to help change abnormal behavior into

more normal behaviorSystematic process for helping people overcome their

psychological difficulties

Abnormality and Treatment

The unearthed bones, artwork, and other remnants of ancient society showed that they saw abnormal behavior as the work of evil spirits

Thought magical beings controlled the worldHuman body and mind was battle of good vs.

evil

Ancient Views and Treatments

Ancient CureBecause they thought

abnormal behavior was evil overtaking the body the treatment was to force out the demon

Stone Age –half a million years ago

Trephination- a stone instrument was used to cut out a circular section of the skull

Purpose was to release the evil spirits that were causing abnormality

Exorcismmany early societies

used exorcisms to make the evil spirits leave the individual’s body

The shaman recites prayers and pleads with the evil spirit

The idea was to make the person’s body an uncomfortable place to inhabit

Greek and Romans Views500 B.C to A.D 500-

Hippocrates taught the natural cause of illness

Thought brain disease led to an imbalance of humors Yellow bile, black bile,

blood, phlegmFluids that flowed

through the body

These ideas were shared by Plato and Aristotle

A.D. 500 to 1350 Religious beliefs came to dominate views again as demonology returned.

Exorcisms were revived Starving, whipping, scalding, and stretching the

individual

After Middle Ages Demonology and exorcism ended

Focus shifted to Medical views and causes; treatment

in hospitals

Middle Ages

About 1400-1700German doctor Johann Weyer- mind was

susceptible to illness like the bodyReligious shrines were set in place – the

people were treated humanely like todays community mental health programs but they could only house a small number of patients

Began to use Asylums –institutions for mentally illStarted to overfill and became prisonlike with

terrible conditions and cruelty

Renaissance

Reform and Moral Treatment Focused on moral and humane techniques in

order to respect patients; deserved individual care

Dorothea Dix of Boston (new laws and government funding)

But Moral Treatment Fades Due to shortage of money and staffPrejudice began to form against people with

mental disorders Public views worsened

Nineteenth Century

Somatogenic perspective- physical causeLobotomy (cut of certain nerve fiber in the brain)1930’s inject insulin to induce shock and

temporary coma as a treatment for schizophrenia1940’s electrotherapy1950’s psychotropic medications1970’s deinstitutionalization

Psychogenic perspective- psychological causeHypnotism and psychoanalysis

Twentieth Century

“According to international research, mental illness tends to be portrayed negatively in the mass media in both news and entertainment media.”

Negative representations of mental issues cause negative images and stereotypes.

A strong link between mental illness and violence has been made.

Negative representations of mental illness also has an influence on community attitudes towards the mentally ill.

There is evidence that the reporting is improving, which will improve community attitudes towards mental illness.

Portrayal of Mental Illness Through Literature

The Yellow Wallpaper (Published in 1892)Story of a woman who

has been locked up in a room with yellow wallpaper by her husband (who is also her physician)

The woman is possibly suffering from postpartum psychosis—onset of psychotic symptoms following birth of a child.

http://www.amazon.com/Yellow-Wallpaper-Charlotte-Perkins-Gilman/dp/1449598285/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1269364493&sr=1-2-spell

The woman grows to believe she must free the woman behind the yellow wallpaper—rips down the wallpaper and exclaims, “I’ve got out at last” as she circles around the room.

Although the story was written in order to show her doctors poor choice of therapy, the woman in this story is portrayed as a mentally unstable woman, who at times is crazy. The story makes one feel as though the family is ashamed of her and thus they lock her in the room.

The Yellow Wallpaper [Cont’d]

Of Mice and Men (Published in 1937)

Two migrant ranch workers, George and Lennie, hope to obtain freedom and purchase and live on their own land.

Lennie is mentally ill and has an obsession of touching soft objects, which leads to accusations of rap when Lennie stokes a woman’s dress.

http://www.amazon.com/Mice-Men-John-Steinbeck/dp/B001D3KDPU/ref=sr_1_8?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1269364412&sr=8-8

Lennie ends up killing a woman while trying to touch her hair and George and Lennie’s dream of freedom is taken away forever.

A negative portrayal of mental illness, which also connects mental illness to violence and danger.

Of Mice and Men [Cont’d]

One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (Published in 1962)Narrator “Chief”

Bromden tells the story of the life in a mental hospital from an employee’s perspective.

Randle McMurphy is one of the main characters who is a rebellious patient in the mental hospital and spends most of his time fighting against rules.http://schol.files.wordpress.com/2007/11/fb1c6199-c7e8-48b7-9401-88e15f9e1c0aimg100.jpg

McMurphy is seen as the ring leader who gets people in trouble, causing one to commit suicide, and is also connected to violence.

Mental illness is once again linked to violence and danger.

One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest [Cont’d]

http://fc04.deviantart.net/fs37/f/2008/243/9/e/One_flew_over_the_cuckoos_nest_by_nami86.jpg

Wasted (Published in 1999)

A memoir of a woman who has been fighting with anorexia and bulimia her whole life.

Her mental instability and eating disorder leads her to drug abuse, promiscuity, and ruins many relationships she has with friends and family.

http://www.amazon.com/Wasted-Memoir-Anorexia-Bulimia-P-S/dp/0060858796/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1269364296&sr=8-1

Goes on rampages where she would starve herself and then binge, eating everything in her house, only to throw her food up shortly after.

Checked into rehab multiple times—would still find ways to cheat the system while in rehab.

Although she is seen as having a life threatening mental illness, the illness was not portrayed in a negative way where it makes others fear her. The author has written the book in order to help women and men avoid the illness that will last with her forever

Wasted [Cont’d]

Other Popular Literary WorksGirl InterruptedAn Unique MindProzac NationI’ve Never Promised

You a Rose GardenMany more…

www.amazon.com

Like in literature, in film mental illnesses are usually associated with things such as serial killers.

Mental illnesses are often portrayed negatively which creates new stereotypes and opinions of the mentally ill and their condition by the public.

Portrayal of Media

http://iconsoffright.com/news/saw-billy.jpghttp://thecriticalthinker.files.wordpress.com/2009/03/forensic-psychology-psychopath.jpg

A Clockwork OrangeAn adaptation from

Anthony Burgess’ A Clockwork Orange written in 1962, describing the reform of a delinquent in the near future.

Takes place in a futuristic London where crime rates are very high. The government’s Minister of Interior tried to implement a new technique to suppressing criminal behavior and urges.

http://howardhughes.trinity.duke.edu/uploads/assets/clockwork.jpg

Treatment from A Clockwork OrangeDr. Ludovico’s

Technique: Based on real treatments.

Uses mental conditioning and aversion therapy to suppress id.

A Beautiful MindStory of a genius

mathematician who struggles with paranoid schizophrenia and is awarded one of the most prestigious prizes in the world.

John Nash ends up entertaining the minds of M.I.T., however, his delusions and schizophrenia begin to overtake and obstruct his ability to possess a normal relationship with the people he loves.

http://www.collegenowlive.com/IMAGES/ImagesPEARL/A-Beautiful-Mind.jpg

Schizophrenia is a group of severe brain disorders in which people interpret reality abnormally. Schizophrenia may result in some combination of hallucinations, delusions and disordered thinking and behavior. The ability of people with schizophrenia to function normally and to care for themselves tends to deteriorate over time.

Contrary to popular belief, schizophrenia isn't split personality or multiple personality. The word "schizophrenia" does mean "split mind," but it refers to a disruption of the usual balance of emotions and thinking.

Treatment

The Aviator Takes place in 1920s – 1940s in

the U.S. Howard Hughes is a film

producer and a revolutionary of commercial airliners who is a germophobe as well as extremely depressed.

Germophobia is attributed to obsessive compulsive disorder. (Mysophobia)

Depression is a disorder that involves the mind and soma, causing both emotional and physical problems and may feel as though life is not worth living. http://images.amazon.com/images/G/01/video/stills/aviator-01_l.jpg

Today drugs such as Zoloft are used to ameliorate one’s OCD.

With depression it leads to his recluse like behavior trapping himself in his screening room, wanting to disappear and wanting to separate himself from the rest of the world, seemingly uninterested.

Treatment

http://www.advancedbehavioralhealthcenter.com/images/zoloft_02.jpg

Fight ClubAdaptation from novel by

Chuck Palahniuk Fight Club.

About a man who suffers from insomnia. Also shows signs of delusional thoughts and dissociative identity disorder.

Schizophrenia is a severe mental illness where the patient has hallucinations not multiple personalities.

http://www.babble.com/CS/blogs/famecrawler/2008/01/08-15/fight-club-brad-pit-tyler.jpg

Therapy: Psychotherapy, Hypnotherapy, Talk Therapy

Drugs: Antidepressants, Anti-anxiety medications.

No real cure.

Treatment

Comer, Ronald. Fundamentals of Abnormal Psychology. 5th ed. New York: Worth Publishers, 2008.

"Gilman, The Yellow Wallpaper." College of Staten Island Library. Web. 16 Mar. 2010. <http://www.library.csi.cuny.edu/dept/history/lavender/wallpaper.html>.

Hornbacher, Marya. Wasted: a Memoir of Anorexia and Bulimia. New York, NY: HarperCollinsPublishers, 1998. Print.

Works Cited

Kesey, Ken, and John Clark. Pratt. One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest. Harmondsworth, Eng.: Penguin, 1977. Print.

"Of Mice and Men -." Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Web. 16 Mar. 2010. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Of_Mice_and_Men>.

Ortho-McNeil-Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc. “History of Mental Illness.” 3 Oct. 2007. 5 Mar. 2010 <http://www.mentalwellness.com/mentalwellness/history.html>

"Research: Media and Mental Illness." Mindframe - A Resource on the Portrayal of Suicide and Mental Illness. Web. 16 Mar. 2010. <http://www.mindframe-media.info/site/index.cfm?display=83685>.

Works Cited