Mental illness portrayal off

Mental illness portrayal often negative in media (editorial)

When the tragic events on the Virginia Tech campus unfolded this past spring, most people were glued to their televisions devouring news coverage as the endless barrage of horrific details unfolded. I, however, did the opposite.

I thought it was an attempt to avoid the sad details and depressing reality. While this is true, the real reason I found myself avoiding media coverage was to avoid the inevitable media “Ground Hog’s Day.” The script usually goes as follows: tragic event occurs, media pounces, the feeding frenzy begins, the public is inundated with endless graphic and heart-wrenching details, pundits and analysts play the blame game until the next media firestorm occurs.

The maddening media portrayal and exploitation of mental illness was inevitable. A persistent and damaging perception is that all individuals with a mental illness are violent. The Virginia Tech tragedy was the most recent national event to ignite hysteria surrounding violence and the mentally ill.

Now, tragically, a recent incident in Milwaukee involved a child who was killed by his mother who possibly suffers from a mental illness. One headline read “Baby dies after being left alone with mentally ill mom.”

When stories like this unfold, I usually cringe, awaiting the inevitable labeling and stereotyping of mental illness. I do not dispute that mental illness is a relevant factor to this story, but the wording is troubling, and the necessity of adding it to the headline for sensationalization is questionable.

The enduring misconception that people with mental illnesses are violent and unpredictable is false. In reality, the vast majority of people who have a mental illness are no more violent than anyone else. Studies show mental illness is a poor predictor of violence, ranking well after other factors such as youth, male gender, history of violence and poverty.

A person’s mental health status is usually only highlighted in stories of tragedy, perpetuating the stigma associated with mental illness. The labeling of the woman as a “mentally ill mom” is troubling. It defines this woman solely by her illness.

When recently speaking with a UW-Madison graduate from the School of Social Work who happens to have bipolar disorder, I was enlightened about something called “people first language.” At first note it sounds a bit “after school special,” but it is a critical distinction to be aware of when discussing mental illness.

Instead of labeling someone as a “mentally ill person,” they should be referred to as a “person with a mental illness.” It is a term people with any illness or disability tend to prefer becasue it makes clear that they are people first and their illness is secondary.

Their illness does not define them. Think about it, do you call a “person with cancer” a “cancerous person”? Do we refer to them as a group as “the cancerous”?

Similarly, referring to all people with a mental illness as “the mentally ill” also does a disservice, implying all people with a mental illness are a homogeneous group. Living with a mental illness is only one part of a person’s life.

“I’m a spouse, I’m a homeowner, I’m a baseball fan, I’m a gardener, and I also happen to have a mental illness,” the graduate told me. “That mental illness is just one aspect of my life, and it doesn’t define who I am.”

Having a sister who has a mental illness, I know all too well the stigma that sometimes accompanies it. I am also aware of the gross inaccuracies often present in media portrayals of mental illness. The fact is mental illness rarely comes up in the media unless a tragic event occurs.

Stories like the recent tragedy in Milwaukee are rare, but when these portrayals are all the public sees, it becomes the norm in public perception. Positive stories about people with mental illness are seldom shown. A person’s mental illness is typically only highlighted in stories about tragic events—events that are the exception, not the norm.

Contrary to popular media depictions, not all people with a mental illness are raving “mad men.” Not all people with a mental illness are violent and unpredictable. People with mental illnesses are not intellectually impaired, as mental illness often gets confused with mental retardation. Many people with a mental illness lead active, productive lives. You probably know someone with a mental illness and don’t even realize it.

We don’t see stories of people who go to their jobs every day, go to school, have a family, hang out with their friends, volunteer and are just like you and me—they just happen to have mental illnesses.