Viewing Popular Films about Mental Illness Through a Sociological Lens

Abstract

The distortion of images is especially problematic in films about disability (Saran 1998a; 1998b). Among films portraying characters with disabilities, psychiatric disabilities are portrayed more often than any other disability category (Byrd and Elliott 1985), and popular films depicting characters with illness often portray their symptoms inaccurately (Fleming and Manvell 1985). Negative images of people with illness (PWMI) in visual media such as television and film are ubiquitous (Wahl 1995), and the popularity of mental patient and asylum films has been explored (C. Smith 1999). Most disturbing is the linking of illness with homicidal behavior, a myth that appears frequently in horror films (Hyler, Gabbard, and Schneider 1991) and the plethora of films about serial killers. Other stereotypical media images suggest that PWMI are likely to be childlike, irresponsible, incompetent, unpredictable, dangerous, and unstable; often they have unusual appearances. These wide-eyed characters, often portrayed with unkempt clothing and wild hair, cannot be taken seriously (Wahl 1995). In this paper I discuss an exercise I use requiring students to view a popular film that portrays a particular disorder or a character with a disorder. Students analyze the film and write two papers, one about the sociological model of illness and a second about possible links between media images and the societal rejection or acceptance of people with illness. I begin with a description of necessary materials and how the films can be used, then discuss the assigned readings and classroom discussions of the sociological and medical models of illness, including suggestions for reading assignments. Next, I explain how popular films about illness can be categorized to maximize the exercise's utility for students' learning. I conclude with an evaluation of the exercise based on a pre-test/post-test comparison of students' knowledge of the theory and concepts of residual deviance, labeling, stereotype, and stigma.