Mental illness in fiction

Mental illness in fiction

Works of fiction dealing with mental illness include:

Contents

Literature

"It has only recently been recognized that valuable new facts and insights are vouchsafed by a study of Freud's relationship with Arthur Schnitzler. That Schnitzler, the Viennese physician-poet and contemporary of Freud's, wrote strikingly "Freudian" plays and stories has, of course, long been common knowledge. For many years it was widely assumed that Schnitzler was merely one of the earliest and most perceptive of Freud's many literary disciples. In 1953, however, it was demonstrated that the relationship was more complicated, that in fact Freud and Schnitzler had not only read one another's early publications but had then regularly read one another's works as they appeared; that Schnitzler had eventually referred to Freud as his "double"; and that Freud, late in life, had called Schnitzler his "psychic twin, " and described him as a pioneer and independent master of depth psychology."[15]

Motion pictures

Many motion pictures portray mental illness in inaccurate ways, leading to misunderstanding and heightened stigmatization of the mentally ill. However, some movies are lauded for dispelling stereotypes and providing insight into mental illness. In a study by George Gerbner, it was determined that 5 percent of 'normal' television characters are murderers, while 20% of 'mentally-ill' characters are murderers. 40% of normal characters are violent, while 70% of mentally-ill characters are violent. Contrary to what is portrayed in films and television, Henry J. Steadman, Ph.D., and his colleagues at Policy Research Associates found that, overall, formal mental patients did not have a higher rate of violence than the control group of people who were not formal mental patients. In both groups, however, substance abuse was linked to a higher rate of violence. (Hockenbury and Hockenbury, 2004)

  • Psycho, a 1960 American film which features a man who exhibits multiple personality-disorder (includes several prequels or sequels or remakes)
  • Marnie, a 1964 American film which features a woman with obsessive fear and distrust
  • Oil Lamps, a 1971 film by Juraj Herz, based on the same named novel by Jaroslav Havlíček, describing the life of vivacious girl and her matrimony with a sardonic man, who suffer from emerging paralytic dementia
  • Benny & Joon, a 1993 American film which features a schizophrenic woman
  • Memento, a 2000 psychological thriller film which is about a man with anterograde amnesia which renders his brain unable to store new memories.
  • A Beautiful Mind, a 2001 film which is a fictionalised account of the schizophrenic mathematician, John Nash[16]
  • The Soloist, a 2009 film depicting the true story of Nathaniel Ayers, a musical prodigy who develops schizophrenia during his second year at Juilliard School, becomes homeless and plays a 2 two stringed violin in the streets of downtown Los Angeles/ California

Television

Many popular television shows feature characters with a mental health condition. Often these portrayals are inaccurate and reinforce existing stereotypes, thereby increasing stigma associated with having a mental health condition. Common ways that television shows can generate misunderstanding and fear are by depicting people with these conditions as medically noncompliant, violent, and/or intellectually challenged. However, in recent years certain organizations have begun to advocate for accurate portrayals of mental health conditions in the media, and certain television shows have been applauded by mental health organizations for helping to dispel myths of these conditions...

One show, Wonderland, went on the air in 2000 and only lasted several episodes. It was largely critically acclaimed, but pressure from mental health advocates and people with mental health conditions who felt that the show perpetuated stereotypes and contributed to the stigma attached to them led to the show's cancellation.

In 2005, the shows Huff, Monk, Scrubs and ER all won Voice Awards from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration for their positive portrayal of people who manage mental health conditions. Neal Baer, executive producer of ER and Law & Order: Special Victims Unit also won a lifetime achievement award for his work in incorporating mental health issues into these two shows.

See also

Notes

  1. ^ "... 'Palata No. 6' (1892, Ward Number Six) is Chekhov's classical story of the abuse of psychiatry. Gromov is convinced that anyone can be imprisoned. He develops a persecution mania and is incarcerated in a horrific asylum, where he meets Doctor Ragin. Their relationship attracts attention and the doctor is tricked into becoming a patient in The Catcher in the Rye, 1951 novel by J. D. Salinger his own ward. He dies after being beaten by a charge hand. — The symmetrical story has much similarities with such works as Samuel Fuller's film The Shock Corridor (1963), and Ken Kesey's novel One Flew Over Cuckoo's Nest (1975). ..." [1]. An online version of the story can be found at Project Gutenberg. [2]
  2. ^ Kent, Deborah (2003). Snake pits, talking cures & magic bullets: a history of mental illness. Twenty-First Century Books. pp. 118. ISBN 0761327045. http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=wzlJWvCoNKQC. 
  3. ^ Poplaski, W. E. (2007). 360 of Reading: A Literature Guide for the College Bound. Dog Ear Publishing. pp. 19. ISBN 1598583794. http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=S_eTl_OJvFgC. 
  4. ^ Famous Psychologist: R.D. Laing. Psychologistanywhereanytime.com, retrieved March 23, 2011
  5. ^ Furst, Lilian R. (2003). Idioms of distress: psychosomatic disorders in medical and imaginative literature. SUNY Press. ISBN 0791455572. http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=j2_U8NdM2WwC. 
  6. ^ Books › "Effie's burning". Amazon.com, retrieved March 23, 2011
  7. ^ Effie's Burning Pb (Acting Edition). Amazon.com, retrieved March 23, 2011
  8. ^ Books › "Annie Waters". Amazon.com, retrieved March 23, 2011
  9. ^ Books › "kristin waterfield duisberg". Amazon.com, retrieved March 23, 2011
  10. ^ Books › "darkness descending". Amazon.com, retrieved March 23, 2011
  11. ^ "All in the Mind by Alastair Campbell - review". Daily Telegraph. 6 November 2008. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/books/fictionreviews/3562930/All-in-the-Mind-by-Alastair-Campbell---review.html. Retrieved 4 December 2009. 
  12. ^ Books › "Diving into the Wreck". Amazon.com, retrieved March 23, 2011
  13. ^ Books › "a better place by mark a. roeder". Amazon.com, retrieved March 23, 2011
  14. ^ Books › "Dawn Wilson". Amazon.com, retrieved March 23, 2011
  15. ^ Freud's "Double": Arthur Schnitzler. Frederick J. Beharriell, Ph.D.
  16. ^ Perkowitz, S. (2007). Hollywood science: movies, science, and the end of the world. Columbia University Press. pp. 192. ISBN 0231142803. http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=npB0HPVn44MC. 

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