Media's Representation of Schizophrenia
Location
Guzman 114
Start Date
4-19-2018 4:40 PM
End Date
4-19-2018 4:55 PM
Student Type
Undergraduate
Faculty Mentor(s)
Bradley Van Alstyne, MA
Presentation Format
Oral Presentation
Abstract/Description
This paper looks at how the media portrays schizophrenia and how it is influencing society’s view of the mental health disorder. Over the years there has been several films depicting characters with schizophrenia. Some films do a great job while others fall short of the mark. Schizophrenia has been misrepresented through the media and specifically in films. Typically in horror films schizophrenics are depicted as monsters. They are illustrated as psycho killers with no remorse for their victims. From these movies the stereotypes of schizophrenics are made. When people talk about schizophrenics they think of them as violent, insane, and evil. There is also this idea that people with schizophrenia have had to have gone through some traumatic life altering experience to have become they way they are. While some films do an injustice to the mental health disorder, other films have been produced that sheds the illness in a more accurate and positive light. In this paper films will be analyzed and by looking at the characters that portray schizophrenia it will show how films are illustrating schizophrenics to the world. The paper will show the positive and negative representations the media has produced on schizophrenia. The media should realize the inaccuracy of some of the films showing schizophrenia negatively and put a stop to the production of poor work and continue to stride to make films with accurate and factual information that represent schizophrenia properly.
Media's Representation of Schizophrenia
Guzman 114
This paper looks at how the media portrays schizophrenia and how it is influencing society’s view of the mental health disorder. Over the years there has been several films depicting characters with schizophrenia. Some films do a great job while others fall short of the mark. Schizophrenia has been misrepresented through the media and specifically in films. Typically in horror films schizophrenics are depicted as monsters. They are illustrated as psycho killers with no remorse for their victims. From these movies the stereotypes of schizophrenics are made. When people talk about schizophrenics they think of them as violent, insane, and evil. There is also this idea that people with schizophrenia have had to have gone through some traumatic life altering experience to have become they way they are. While some films do an injustice to the mental health disorder, other films have been produced that sheds the illness in a more accurate and positive light. In this paper films will be analyzed and by looking at the characters that portray schizophrenia it will show how films are illustrating schizophrenics to the world. The paper will show the positive and negative representations the media has produced on schizophrenia. The media should realize the inaccuracy of some of the films showing schizophrenia negatively and put a stop to the production of poor work and continue to stride to make films with accurate and factual information that represent schizophrenia properly.