Informative

     Mental illness and anything involving it has been heavily stigmatized since the ancient times. According to blogger Abbey Cressman and the Museum of Health Care it was doing the ancient times where mental illness was “… centered on the idea that victims were possessed by evil spirits” (Cressman).  The perception of the mentally evolved from evil spirit possession to wild beasts which would eventually change the way clinicians attempted to treat these illnesses. Originally mental illness was treated with charms and amulets to release any evil spirits from the body, however, the institution of church referred to these types of rituals as demonic and witchcraft. Medical treatment for the mentally ill would eventually evolve from charms and Electro Shock therapy to prescription pills that are being used today. Although treatment for curing mental illness has evolved, the animalistic outlook towards them would remain the same. It is evident that even today the mentally ill are treated like wild animals as they are left to “just deal” with their illnesses on their own and the people who are hired to protect and serve are trained to shoot and kill them.

    

  Current constitutional acts such as the American Disability Act which protects the mentally ill from discrimination, can lead people to believe that the stigma geared towards mental illness is obsolete. However, history has proven that the constitution works only if it is enforced. The stigma that follows mental illness has a heavy presence today. According to professor of psychology at Sussex University Dr. Graham C. L. Davey:

 "The media regularly play a role in perpetuating stigmatizing stereotypes of people            with mental health problems. The popular press is a branch of the media that is frequently criticized for perpetuating these stereotypes. Blame can also be levelled at the entertainment media. For example, cinematic depictions of schizophrenia are often stereotypic and characterized by misinformation about symptoms, causes and treatment." (PH.D Davey)

    

    Evidence of this is very clear as we watch movies such as Split or tv shows such as Empire that portray people with mental illness as the antagonists. Very seldom does society shed a positive light on the mentally ill as most of what is displayed is often an exaggeration of that disease. Conversations surrounding mental illness among the public is still at a minimum because of the negative outlooks. A dialogue must be started to encourage everyone to become a little more sensitive to this subject. There is a saying that states “we often fear what we do not understand,” but how can we understand anything if we are hesitant to become informed? By informing ourselves we will be able to decipher the fiction found with in these entertaining sources from reality.