I know that I’ve talked already a bit about eradicating stigma. However, stigma is far- reaching enough in our society, that sometimes, we don’t even notice that we ourselves are stigmatizing someone with a mental illness. So, I’ve taken the liberty of providing you with some examples of what stigma of mental illness looks like. 1. Stigma in Music:
A lot of songs stigmatize mental illness. They may do it in a cute, funny way, but still, it’s stigma none the less, and can be insulting to those affected. Here are some examples of songs, old and new, that are stigmatizing. - The Ramones- I Wanna Be Sedated
- This song totally gives the wrong impression of what it is like to be on a sedative. Also, sedatives are addictive substances. It gives this impression of people with mental health issues as totally physically incapacitated as well, which is rarely the case.
"I Wanna Be Sedated"
Twenty-twenty-twenty four hours to go I wanna be sedated
Nothin' to do and no where to go-o-oh I wanna be sedated
Just get me to the airport put me on a plane
Hurry hurry hurry before I go insane
I can't control my fingers I can't control my brain
Oh no no no no no
Twenty-twenty-twenty four hours to go....
Just put me in a wheelchair, get me on a plane
Hurry hurry hurry before I go insane
I can't control my fingers I can't control my brain
Oh no no no no no
Twenty-twenty-twenty four hours to go I wanna be sedated
Nothin' to do and no where to go-o-o I wanna be sedated
Just put me in a wheelchair get me to the show
Hurry hurry hurry before I go loco
I can't control my fingers I can't control my toes
Oh no no no no no
Twenty-twenty-twenty four hours to go...
Just put me in a wheelchair...
Ba-ba-bamp-ba ba-ba-ba-bamp-ba I wanna be sedated
Ba-ba-bamp-ba ba-ba-ba-bamp-ba I wanna be sedated
Ba-ba-bamp-ba ba-ba-ba-bamp-ba I wanna be sedated
Ba-ba-bamp-ba ba-ba-ba-bamp-ba I wanna be sedated
b. Sean Kingston : “Beautiful Girls” (an excerpt)
This song was so popular a couple of summers ago that I remember one of my eight year old campers in Hilo, Hawaii singing it at the top of her lungs. Should eight year olds really be singing about wanting to commit suicide?
You're way too beautiful girl
That's why it'll never work
You had me suicidal, suicidal
When you say it's over
Damn all these beautiful girls
They only wanna do your dirt
They'll have you suicidal, suicidal
When they say it's over
JR! Sean Kingston!
[Chorus:]
You're way too beautiful girl
That's why it'll never work
You had me suicidal, suicidal
When you say it's over
Damn all these beautiful girls
They only wanna do your dirt
They'll have you suicidal, suicidal
When they say it's over
3. Gnarls Barkley “Crazy” Video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bd2B6SjMh_w
This video is all done in ink blots, which was the popular way that psychologists once tested people to assess for mental illnesses.
2. Stigma on Film:
"Mad Love"
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0113729/usercomments
This movie is so full of stigma, that I could barely sit through it, and that was before I was diagnosed with Bipolar disorder. It came out in the late '90's, and starts out as a beautiful love story until…dun dun dun…we find out that Drew Barrymore’s character has a mental illness. Then of course, the relationship starts to go downhill until at the movie’s high point, Drew pulls a gun on Chris O’Donnell. The movie ends with Drew Barrymore being locked in a mental institution.
Message: If you are dating someone that has a mental illness, they will harm you or try to harm you violently.
2." Fatal Attraction":
This film depicts a woman with Borderline Personality Disorder who does such things as boil bunnies. Need I say more?
http://www.imdb.com/find?s=all&q=fatal+attraction
Message: If you know someone that has a diagnosis of BPD, hide your pets.
3. Stigma in Popular Culture:
"If you have OCD and you know it, wash your hands"- is a popular Facebook site with over 7,000 members.
http://eu-es.facebook.com/group.php?gid=2204702750&v=wall
Mental illness stigma in the media has become so popular, that they have coined a term for it. It's known as Psychomedia: http://www.mentalhealthstigma.com/
I know that I’ve just scratched the surface of stigma. However, it’s here to give you an idea of how much changing we still need to do.
Keep in mind:
The more we stigmatize mental illness, the fewer people get the help that they need. - The fewer people that get the help that they need, the more unnecessary deaths happen from suicide.
- According to the NIMH, suicide is the #3 cause of deaths among young people ages 15-24.
http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/suicide-in-the-us-statistics-and-prevention/index.shtml Please think of this the next time you are about to crack a “crazy joke.” Please become part of the solution, not part of the problem. Be Well
~Emily
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