In mainstream media like films and television shows, characters with mental disorders or disabilities are often portrayed in an incorrect and often offensive manner. This issue is surprisingly rampant in our culture. One of the chief reasons for this is because the issue itself resides within these popular forms of art that a mass number of people are exposed to. I can understand and closely relate to these issues as a film student who suffers from a learning disability along with a few mental disorders, and I would like to see the stigma and stereotyping in character portrayals disappear. In the recent film Split (2016), a character played by James McAvoy suffers from the mental disorder Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID). In the movie, his character loses control over his own personality and his other personalities decide to kidnap three teenage girls required for a “ritual” to awaken the “final” personality. This film is a great example of a very excellent portrayal and insight into the science behind someone who suffers from this rare disorder. The issue here is that the film is advertised as a science fiction/horror flick and has polarized audiences because of its bold choices, which have created a myriad of stigmas around this disorder.

This issue is a huge problem that needs to be solved, because people who suffer through disorders and disabilities are being negatively stigmatized. They are treated differently by their peers, the job market, and the general population. Most importantly, because of common misrepresentation, their disability or disorder is not taken seriously and they often do not receive the accommodations needed in certain aspects of their daily life.

There are dozens of examples as to why this issue is such a big problem. These days, portrayals of disabilities are shown more than disorders, and even then they are mostly shown in only a few lights. The most popular portrayals are of those who are forced into their disability and must overcome it to be something greater, (like Daredevil, the blind superhero) and those who become bitter because of their predicament (like Lieutenant Dan the paraplegic from the film Forrest Gump). A lot of the time – and especially with villainous characters – these disorders and disabilities are given to an audience to reflect our own true feelings about unfairness, resentment, and internal struggles are supposed to represent the “real” monsters. These stereotypes are very common, but they need to be inspected in detail. 

In a study by a group dedicated to the project: Research and Practice for Persons with Severe Disabilities, those who worked on the project found that individuals with physical disabilities are portrayed in feature films in ten specific themes and stereotypes. Some of these include community integration, interpersonal relationships, and personality stereotypes. The biggest stereotypes were being better-off-dead, a burden to family/society, and pitiable and pathetic. The result showed that most of the films developed the personality of the character, but on-going intimate relationships were rarely portrayed. Integrated education and employment opportunities were also noticeably lacking. This study proves that filmmakers continue to perpetuate damaging portrayals of people incapable of competitive employment or postsecondary education, as a result of their inability to cope with their disability and engage in self-destructive behaviors. 

In an article about media representations of Attention Deficit Disorders, the diagnostic procedures and importance of medication is discussed. Several motion pictures and television programs are cited including The Simpsons and South Park where the shows mock the effects of drugs like Ritalin taken by children, and conversely taken by the adults to see what the effects are really like. These shows allude to the fact that children who might have conditions similar to ADD should be medicated immediately because they act out in class or because they aren’t behaving like the rest of the children, therefore they “aren’t normal.” The author of the article says that people should try to convince those who work in the media to present more realistic and “humanizing and balanced” representations (England-Kennedy). People who want to change other’s perceptions have to decide how to better advocate for those diagnosed and how to educate the general public. The magazine article “Sages, Villains, and Seers” discusses the application of disability in science fiction and fantasy films. It cites several characters including Jake Sully from the film Avatar and Tyrion Lannister from the television series Game of Thrones, explaining  the differences of character and their disabilities by categorizing them by the way they are portrayed. As fascinating as these tropes can be, this article proves that these characters are almost never the main character. As the author Charlotte Loftus points out. “The one ring to rule them all had better be held by a white, heteronormative, abled male.”

There are some proper portrayals that exist and they are truly fantastic. In the film The King’s Speech, Prince Albert of England (played by Colin Firth) must ascend the throne and speak publicly, but has a severe speech impediment. This film has had a very positive impact on the general public, researchers, and mainly on those who stutter. This is a great example of how a film portrays disabilities in an accurate and non-stigmatic way. The King’s Speech is cited and referenced often in the article “Movies and Disability: Positive Impact or Harm?” by Christa Kraayenoord. In the article, she strongly advocates and argues for recognizing the influence of stuttering on a person’s life. The film Finding Nemo, and especially its sequel Finding Dory, have been praised for the representation and portrayal of the character Dory and for its accuracy and value to audiences around the world. Elizabeth Picciuto, author of “‘Finding Dory,’ Disability and Me,” and a mother yearning for her children to see respectable and realistic portrayals on the silver screen, shares her thoughts on the film. Picciuto states that the film’s most vital point is “the value of Dory’s independence, even with a severe cognitive disability.”

Whereas on the other side of the spectrum, mental illnesses are, as author Hannah Evans says “…almost always trivialized for cheap laughs.” She is the author of an online article “5 Films that Do a Good Job of Exploring Mental Illness.” There are three examples of certain portrayals with links to videos and excerpts that stood out to me personally. The first video is a scene from the film Melancholia and features Justine, played by Kirsten Dunst, who slips deeper and deeper into a severe type of depression. This scene stood out because only someone who has suffered from depression could imagine a scene as accurately heartbreaking as the image of her, a grown woman, failing to get in the bath like an invalid or small child would. The next footage is from Benny and Joon, a movie exploring the character Joon, played by Mary Stuart Masterson, who suffers from a condition which carefully mirrors schizophrenia. There are little personal moments that serve to bring color and life to her illness. Evans says that “[T]he line is very thin between comedy and trivializing the seriousness of Joon’s state of mind but Masterson does a brilliant job of toeing the line.” The final example is a film that has touched me deeply before, along with many others. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind stars both Jim Carrey and Kate Winslet who provide near-flawless explorations into anxious and depressed behaviors. Evan states that Carrey’s character Joel displays extremely accurate “characteristics of generalized anxiety disorder” while Winslet’s character Clementine shows a “rare depiction of a borderline personality disorder sufferer” and that the two of them getting together is a fantastic example of what can actually happen in the real world, even though the film has many surreal moments. These kinds of portrayals should be praised and studied more for accuracy in the future.

However, with every new movie release and new television show, it is proven time and again that mental disorders over disabilities are portrayed in a more negative light. Depression, anxiety, PTSD, and psychopathy are the most common disorders in film and media. In the paper “Portrayal of Psychopathy in the Movies,” by Morten Hesse, the author states that psychopaths in films are repeatedly portrayed as predatory monsters. As Hesse says, “such a character tends to only scratch the surface of the problems associated with psychopathy.” This proves that movies need to go beyond the callous, calculating and aggressive individual and portray issues like relationships and thing that hinder change of antisocial behaviors. This says a lot about society as a whole and what we subconsciously care about versus what we are told to care about. 

In an academic paper about the depiction of disabilities in movies, author Sameer Boray remarks on how this issue can be engaged by the mediation of law through censor boards. He states that only a few popular films in both Hollywood and Bollywood have been discussed. It is clear in the paper that he wants to prove, in a more legal manner, what morally is okay to show and what isn’t on the silver screen and that we should all strive to change the studying of disabilities before they are wrongfully portrayed so that performances become more acceptable and non-stigmatizing. This negative impact can severely damage a person’s psyche and can easily push them to think that the way they act with their disability is wrong or that they are a danger to others. It is equally as easy to convince others not suffering of the very same thing. That these people are dangerous and they should be medicated heavily or monitored greatly. Going back to Kraayenoord’s article and The King’s Speech, and at the end of the piece, the author strongly challenges film directors and even actors and points out that the fact that a single movie can make such valuable contributions, this should be the case for movies about disabilities in the future.

Many would argue that films and shows aren’t focused on or concerned with accurate portrayals because other parts of the story need to be shown and told. Time is a big issue with filming and so is casting. Sometimes those working on a film crew just don’t have the time or resources in their budget to get someone good enough to portray challenges like that, or even time to film it in a correct way. Even still, the translation from an inner struggle to an outward portrayal can be very difficult. Some would continue to argue that misrepresentation creates a form of entertainment and should be encouraged, as seen in adult comedies like South Park and Family Guy. As a film student I can relate to and even understand this dilemma. That doesn’t mean that it is okay to do this. These kinds of methods can create more stigma and stereotypes that do not help the disabilities and disorders. The biggest issue with these kinds of portrayals is that they can easily make a mass amount of viewers think negatively about such disorders like DID. Just because it was a captivating performance, doesn’t mean it was a good portrayal. These inner queries apply perfectly to the movie Split. While actor James McAvoy may have given one of his greatest performances, (playing nine different personalities on-screen) the way it came across to audiences worldwide greatly infuriated and horrified those who watched it. Looking at online reviews and comments, it is clear that after seeing the movie audiences began thinking: “this is how people with this mental illness are supposed to act and therefore do act” or, “this is how we are or are not supposed to treat them,” or worse, “that was so outlandish; how could it be a real thing?”

Certain changes should and need to be made for the future in this field of film and media and it starts with training actors differently. Directors and producers could interview those with the disability or disorder they want portrayed so that they can get it right. These people could be brought in during filming and stay behind the scenes to help actors get into a mindset of what it would be like to go through a situation while suffering with that specific challenge. Acting methods for portrayals should change during the training process with actors. These particular changes would not be too extensive, impractical, or expensive to be done by major media producers. They would also represent massive steps in rectifying the incorrect stereotypes and unwanted stigma that the media has perpetuated for far too long.

