What does it mean to romanticize mental illnesses?
Over the past couple of years, the topic of mental health has become more well known and been commonly used in books, movies and T.V shows in hopes of breaking the stigma surrounding it. According to the Oxford dictionary, romanticization is making or believing something is better, more interesting, and more exciting than it is. Romanticizing mental illnesses equivocates with glamorizing them which applies far more pleasure and appeal to mental health issues than it should have.
This does not mean that the acknowledgment of mental health in the media is bad. It is cardinal that our society is educated on such topics however some people end up glamorizing it and making it seem desirable, fascinating, or attractive. Many depictions of mental illnesses are incorrect and tend to sensationilise the idea of it. This can severely affect people who suffer from such issues.
Mental health on screen
Mental health issues are very commonly incorporated into movies, books, T.V shows. For example in horror movies, we often see that the villains have all suffered from mental health issues that give rise to a series of murders and horror. These portrayals can seem intriguing as we have seen from movies such as 'scream' or 'Friday the 13th' both movies have recieved positive responses and are both iconic, well know and loved movies. However, this reacurring sterotype that people who have bipolar or schitzophrenia is very harmful for people who actually struggle with such illnesses.
Romance movies that bring mental illnesses into the plot can be beneficial as they shine a light on the struggles of loving someone who struggles with their mental health or the general concept of love in relation to mental health. However they introduce the love interest in hopes of ‘fixing’ the protagonist. An intimate loving relationship may help a person who is struggling but won’t ultimately end it. Such movies also fail to acknowledge that it is common for people to relapse and recovery is a very difficult process.
Why is it bad?
Romanticizing mental illness is harmful as it encourages people to see it as something that is beautiful and may discourage people from seeking help. It can also lead to an increase in the suicide rate. According to CNN, after the premier of the controversial Netflix show ’13 reasons why searches related to suicide increased by 26%. It is important for the media to start taking better approaches to educate people about mental health instead of glamorizing it.
