A century of negative movie stereotypes of mental illness

A century of negative movie stereotypes of mental illness.

August 17, 2009

Time to Change 

http://www.time-to-change.org.uk/news/mental-health-stereotypes-movies-crueler-ever-new-report-claims

'Mental health stereotypes in the movies crueler than ever, new report claims' I have chosen this topic de to the fact that I empathsise with the article. The article sets out to make people understand that people who have mental health in films are usually portrayed in an inhuman way however with some exceptions. 

Mental Health: 

Noun          ...              A person's condition with regard to their psychological and emotional well-being.

The article refers to a report written by psychiatrist and film expert by Dr Peter Byrne called Screening Madness. "Mental health stereotypes have not changed over a century of cinema. If anything, the comedy is crueler and the deranged psycho killer even more demonic" In my personal opinion I agree with this to a certain extent, with movies such as Daniel Craig's portrayal in Some Voices and Russell Crowe's A Beautiful Mind that depict a more realistic portrayal of schizophrenia. However, not all films are like that, one example used in the article is the film The Dark Knight, the popular modern Batman film is represented "as a low point in depicting mental illness, with violence and humour based almost entirely on a misunderstanding of schizophrenia."