There are some which show the painfully true reality of living with a mental illness. Kristen Haddox, Penn State University4. Women are known to lug around heavy purses with unnecessary items inside. The attempt to demonstrate realistic and humanized instances of mental illness in film comes from good intentions as it can be a difficult thing for those are mentally well to wrap their head around. A huge component of the widespread romanticization is the media that we constantly consume. As a fiction writer, I understand bending and exploring reality. Photo: 20th Century Fox. Mental illness is a real experience and when Hollywood exploits it through movies that handle mental illness badly, people are then misinformed about its reality. “Black Swan”. Here are 25 iconic songs from the past 50+ years. Mental illness is all about conflict. Mental health in movies is showcased in such a way that it seems attractive to live with mental health issues. March 16, 2017 Victoria Gibson-Billings 0. Further, people actually suffering from these diseases are not taken seriously with words like depression and anxiety being thrown around. Truthfully, I would much rather read a fiction book and dive into another world than read a nonfiction book - even if it is one of my favorite celebrities. TV shows or movies often romanticize or stigmatize mental illness. It's finally 2021 and we're honestly all just happy that 2020 is over. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we all know that cutting out social interaction has taken its toll. Often when someone who experiences mania, they also experience extreme lows. The manic pixie dream girl is a seemingly fun, slightly bizarre female lead character who helps a male character along his journey in the movie, whether it be self discovery, coming of age, or something else. Of course, not all movies with mental illness are like the ones mentioned. Even asexual people can have an active sex life. Just like mental health, these movies also trivialize abuse, physical illness and self-harm: from portraying a lead female who is sexually harassed and saved by the male protagonist, to the overuse of cancer and similar deadly diseases in love stories. They might change the way a character interacts with another. TV shows or movies often romanticize or stigmatize mental illness. Mental illness is still not portrayed enough in the TV industry. These learned social responses are reinforced by on-screen portrayals in adult media, with mentally-ill characters generally represented as incompetent and isolated, without families, jobs, or social identities. Some movies about mental illness do more harm than good because they misrepresent mental illnesses or romanticize them. It pops up across every form of media, from television shows and movies to popular applications like Instagram, Facebook or Tumblr. Just like mental health, these movies also trivialize abuse, physical illness and self-harm: from portraying a lead female who is sexually harassed and saved by the male protagonist, to the overuse of cancer and similar deadly diseases in love stories. The manic pixie dream girl is a seemingly fun, slightly bizarre female lead character who helps a male character along his journey in the movie, whether it be self discovery, coming of age, or something else. Other examples are Zooey Deschanel in 500 Days of Summer, Kirsten Dunst in The Virgin Suicides and Kate Hudson in Almost Famous. Cattrall explained that she was never friends with her co-stars and even had a difficult relationship with Sarah Jessica Parker. These movies fail to get a positive conversation started about ending the stigma surrounding mental illness. Why We Need to Stop Romanticizing Mental Illness The mental health space can be difficult for many people to understand. 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