Portrayal of Mental Health On-Screen

Portrayal of mental health on television has drastically changed over the years. While in many ways that change has been good, with modern shows taking nuanced approaches that target stereotypes and challenge the stigma surrounding various mental health conditions, there’s still a long way to go. As society has developed its overall knowledge of the internal struggles that a large percentage of the world’s population faces, the characters on screen are telling their stories with growing accuracy. When portraying mental illness, there are common mistakes that filmmakers can recognize in both present and past media and learn to avoid. 

Paths to Avoid

The “Psychopath”: In horror movies and TV shows specifically, creatives often fall into the habit of including a “mentally ill” villain. This contributes to the negative stigma and stereotypes surrounding several well-known mental illnesses, including Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) and schizophrenia. 

Depression as a synonym for sadness: Yes, characters are allowed to feel sad, and everyone’s depression looks different. But no, you are not accurately portraying depression by showing your character eating ice cream from the carton and watching sad rom-coms in bed. Sadness is a natural response to negative experiences; depression is an illness that requires treatment.

It’s easy to pick apart and criticize the depictions seen in the media that audiences consume. However, there are multiple popular modern series aimed at teenagers that deserve recognition for the commendable performances that raise awareness and shed light on the mental illnesses they portray. 

Positive Representation

 “Alexa & Katie”: Katie’s anxiety

Katie (played by Isabel May) faces multiple panic attacks throughout the series that viewers have found accurately representative of real panic attacks. The series demonstrates how characters around her use real-life strategies to help ground Katie during these moments, providing the audience with helpful tactics to use in their own times of need. 

“Never Have I Ever”: Devi’s PTSD

Devi (played by Maitreyi Ramakrishnan) deals with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder following her father’s death, and the show portrays this in multiple ways throughout the series. She has recurring nightmares and dramatic hallucinations reminding her of the tragedy. While the aftermath of the event does not by any means define her character, it is clear to the viewers how trauma can follow someone in ways unseen by the naked eye. 

Representing mental health in media and starting conversations about it is incredibly important. Seeing their struggles brought to light and understanding they aren’t alone can make a huge difference and impact someone’s life. At the same time, when these stories don’t show empathy to the communities they portray, it’s useless for bringing positive attention to the matter and can end up doing more harm than good.

There are endless resources and professionals available to guide creators in the right direction. 

To directors, producers, writers, and actors everywhere: take that extra mile to tell that story correctly. It’s worth it.

Lpc, V. a. P. B. S. P. (2020, June 4). “Never Have I Ever”: Exploring Identity, PTSD & grief. Sana Powell, LPC. https://sanapowell.com/2020/05/05/never-have-i-ever-exploring-identity-ptsd-grief/ Nyfa, & Nyfa. (2024, May 17).

Mental illness in movies, TV & video games: Exploring positive portrayals. NYFA. https://www.nyfa.edu/student-resources/mental-illness-in-movies-tv-video-games/ wpadmin@fantasktic.com. (2024, October 9).

Sadness—or Depression? - Hospice Foundation of America. Hospice Foundation of America. https://hospicefoundation.org/is-it-sadness-or-depression/#:~:text=We%20often%20use%20the%20word,that%20requires%20assessment%20and%20treatment.