mental illness of screen

Representations of mental illness of screen. By Jerome Monahan

December 2003

The single point that the article is trying to make is that "media can shape and distort our understanding of mental illnesses". This is done by using many different exams to illustrate this point.

The first example used is Ned Flanders, the annoying neighbor from the Simpsons, Jerome describes a scene in which Ned has a mental break down, after a serious of events happen to Ned.He starts to insult everyone after him. After this he immediately drives him self to a mental health hospital.The sensible thing to do, get help after something bad has happened. Jerome later explains that the sequences that we see of Ned has 4 clichés, which mental health patients will recognize. Firstly, the "suddenness of Ned’s breakdown, then there is the immediate way his emotional problems are manifest in aggression against others." Thirdly,"the fortunate survival of a mental institution in Springfield" and lastly "the wonderfully absurd choice of treatment Ned is offered by the Nurse Ratchett-resembling receptionist". She offers him the choice of being escorted to his room or be "dragged off kicking and screaming." 

One flew over the Cuckoo's nest, 1975, is the next example Jerome uses to show how the media affects our view of mental illness. In one scene the patients are playing monopoly, "most of the actors selected to play the key patient roles were chosen partly because of their unconventional looks". "Behind-the-scenes documentary was made during the film’s shooting called Completely Cuckoo. It reveals that many of the actual patients were terrified of the actors because of their odd, disheveled appearance and quirky battery of mannerisms".