Beware of the Media’s Often Inaccurate Portrayal of Those with Mental Health Issues

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Please Do NOT Let it Interfere with Seeking or Obtaining Treatment

As a forensic psychiatrist, I am often asked to evaluate people with severe mental illness who have been charged with a crime. Sometimes, when people with mental illness have committed a high-profile violent crime, they end up in the news; however, most people with mental illness are not violent and most people who commit crimes do not suffer from mental illness. The media often, and unfortunately, skews this view. In addition, there are still portrayals in movies and television of people with mental illness that are highly inaccurate.

For example, my colleague Susan Hatters Friedman (author of Family Murder) and I wrote about the “mental illness” portrayed in the popular movie, Joker (read our piece here).

Although the movie had good elements, the story of Arthur’s mental illness was full of inaccuracies and misperceptions. These kinds of portrayals can further stigmatize people who have real symptoms, and those who are being treated.

In my training in New York City, I thought that it was common and completely natural to see a psychiatrist since most of my colleagues were psychiatrists who saw psychiatrists and most of our patients were high-functioning people who lived in Manhattan. Therefore, I am always surprised when I encounter someone saying unkind things about themselves for having symptoms of a psychiatric condition.

We are all going through a collective traumatic experience during the coronavirus pandemic. COVID-19 is taking lives and/or the livelihood of many loved ones. Because of this, it is important that people do not hesitate to reach out for help if they need it to cope with loss, trauma, relationship issues, or anything else that may have been exacerbated or caused by the current situation. Please do not let the media’s often inaccurate portrayal of those suffering from mental health issues stop you from seeking or obtaining treatment. Your health is too important.

To learn more about COVID-19’s impact on mental health, read about the expected increase in PTSD and anxiety disorders and see Dr. Rosenbaum’s latest article in MD Edge, ‘After Life’ and Before Good Treatment.