“Do do do do, do do do do.” Most of us recognize this as the opening song played in the movie “Halloween,” a movie based on the premise that a psychopath escapes from a mental hospital who goes on a murderous rampage, terrorizing the innocent residents of his hometown. His mission is to find and kill his younger sister.
A staff psychiatrist was unsuccessful at rehabilitating the deranged patient, even though he had been living at Smith Grove’s Sanitarium since age 6, after he slaughtered his sister and her boyfriend. The doctor states, “Behind these eyes, one finds only blackness, the absence of light. These are the eyes of a psychopath.”
What is the significance of “Halloween?” Not only did it make John Carpenter, the director, a household name, but it also triggered a national debate regarding the depiction of mental illness in the media.
Otto F. Wahl, in his book “Media Madness: Public Images of Mental Illness,” discusses the negative images of mental illness in today’s television, news and movies. Wahl states that there is a “common belief that mental illnesses are fair game for humor, an excuse for murderous behavior and an explanation for diminished intelligence.” He offers movies and TV shows such as “Friday the 13th,” “Silence of the Lambs” and “Roseanne” to showcase how they contribute to negative stereotypes. These stereotypes are accepted by many as the truth, and not just fiction designed to entertain.
When TV news depicts violent crimes like a campus shooting or a gunman on a killing spree inside a mall, they tend to hint at, or even overtly claim, that the person responsible for the crimes must have been mentally ill. Wahl says in his study, “Cultural Suture, Medicine and Media,” that “research has found that a violent crime by a person with mental illness is more likely to get the front page than a crime committed by a person without mental illness.” As a result, the news media provide a message to viewers that there is a direct correlation between violence and mental illness, that someone who is mentally ill is more likely to commit murder than someone who is “normal.”
Statistics show this is not true at all.
According to a study conducted by Eric Elbogen and Sally Johnson in 2009, mental illness is not a gateway for violent behaviors. “We found that other factors, such as a history of past violence, or substance abuse, or a recent divorce, or loss of one’s job are much more predictive of future violence.”
In fact, they found that if an individual has a mental illness without a history of violence or substance abuse issues, he or she is no more likely to commit a violent crime than someone without mental illness. Elbogen and Johnson conclude in their study that there are several factors that contribute to violence: age, sex, history of violence and history of physical abuse.
The popular viewpoint that mentally ill people are violent can have a damaging effect on the individuals who live with mental illness. The stigma from such media depictions can prevent individuals who need psychiatric assistance and treatment from seeking them. Research has shown that stigma also can create self-esteem issues for some. Individuals may feel shame or fear when they think about publicly announcing their mental illness.
Luckily, the stigma attached to mentally ill people can change, since the perception of mental illness is socially constructed.
Through informative discussion and education, the belief that mentally ill individuals are more violent than non-mentally ill individuals can be eradicated from the public consciousness, allowing a better understanding of what is mental illness and how best to enrich the lives of those who are diagnosed with it.
Samantha Wood is adult mental health case manager for the Region Ten Community Services Board.
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