Movies, television, and social media often get mental health wrong.
Rogers Behavioral Health’s Joan Haznaw, training specialist with Community Learning and Engagement and WISE, continues our series, “Clearing Up Confusion About Mental Health.” Joan shares common stereotypes and provides five recommendations to protect yourself from inaccurate information.
How does pop culture misrepresent mental health?
Myths and stereotypes about mental health have been around for ages. Some of the most common ones are:
People with mental illness are dangerous or violent.
Movies and TV often show characters as unpredictable or violent, but most people with mental health challenges aren’t a danger to others. This stereotype increases fear and stigma.
Mental health issues are a sign of weakness or moral failing.
Pop culture often sends the message that mental health struggles are a character flaw rather than a legitimate medical condition, implying someone brought it on themselves or just needs to try harder to be a “better” person. Mental health disorders are brain-based conditions influenced by many factors, such as genetics, environment, and life experiences.
Everyone with a particular diagnosis acts the same way.
Just as every person is unique, mental illness can show up in different ways. Characters with depression, anxiety, or other conditions are often shown in exaggerated, one-dimensional roles. In real life, symptoms vary widely from person to person. For example, not all people with OCD experience a compulsion of hand washing. A person with OCD may see that repeatedly and begin to question whether they really have the disorder.
Mental health disorders can be “cured” quickly or easily.
People are shown overcoming a disorder instantly after a single event, conversation, or breakthrough. Recovery often takes time, therapy, and support.
People with mental health challenges are always sad, moody, dramatic, and attention-seeking.
Pop culture often focuses on extreme behaviors for entertainment, which can make it seem like mental health challenges define an individual’s entire personality. For example, people with challenges are always unable to leave their homes, have a job, or maintain close relationships. Most people with mental health conditions live rich, full lives and have meaningful relationships. It’s not all or nothing.
People with mental health challenges can just snap out of it.
People with mental health challenges can be portrayed as being weak, lazy, unmotivated, or not having willpower, as if all they need to do is take a yoga class or a bubble bath and they’ll “snap out of it.” That’s ridiculous. Additionally, their loved ones can be portrayed as frustrated and fed up, blaming individuals for not recovering quickly from their challenges.
Therapy is only for people with serious mental health struggles.
Characters often seek therapy and support as a “last resort.” Therapy can be universally helpful for anyone no matter what they’re struggling with. “Human-ing” is hard, and therapy can help us maintain our well-being, manage life’s stresses and anxieties, and support us in achieving our goals.
How is mental health often portrayed in movies, TV shows, and social media?
Common ways mental health is portrayed include:
- Symptoms can be over-dramatized for shock value, like a person with depression is always crying and unable to get out of bed.
- Therapists are misrepresented as being “all knowing,” crossing boundaries and developing personal relationships, or solving people’s problems in a few sessions
- Terms are misused, such as “I’m so OCD” to describe being organized or “They’re bipolar” for describing typical mood changes
- People often navigate mental health crises alone
What are positive examples of mental health challenges in the media?
There is some good news when it comes to breaking mental health stigma. A 2024 study conducted with SHOWTIME/MTV Entertainment Studios says that television is increasingly portraying mental health in accurate, respectful, and helpful ways.
Analysis of TV and film scripts shows:
- A 39% increase in mental-health-related terms
- A 15% decrease in derogatory language since the 2021 launch of the Mental Health Media Guide
- Interviews with writers and experts indicate a growing industry commitment to responsible, culturally sensitive storytelling
Audience research on 13 TV storylines revealed that well-informed portrayals improve viewers’ mental health knowledge, reduce stigma, and increase willingness to seek therapy or support groups. Viewers’ sense of connection with characters also contributed to more positive attitudes.
A few examples where mental health is portrayed in a positive light are:
- “Inside Out 1 and 2” – Explores children’s emotional health and the importance of accepting all emotions
- “The Perks of Being a Wallflower” – Depicts PTSD, depression, and the healing power of support for teens
- “Ted Lasso” – Shows panic attacks, therapy, and the importance of men’s mental health
Additionally, Dr. Kojo is a social media content creator, a mental health nurse practitioner, a psychotherapist, and an author who uses his medical background to create relatable, helpful, and inspiring videos about mental health.
How can these portrayals affect the way people think about their own mental health or the mental health of others?
Stereotypical portrayals foster stigma, making people feel they should hide their symptoms. This can lead to isolation, fear, and self-blame, which may prevent them from seeking support and make their symptoms even more difficult to manage, increasing pain and suffering.
On the flip side, more realistic portrayals decrease stigma by normalizing mental health challenges, which reduces isolation, leads to better understanding, and fosters empathy—all of which can make it easier for someone to seek help.
Why is it important to separate entertainment from education when it comes to mental health?
Entertainment can distort, provide inaccurate information, and even romanticize struggles, while education aims to clarify and support. Keeping them distinct helps prevent misinformation, promotes realistic expectations, and encourages people to seek proper support when needed.
What does research show about someone sharing their mental health story who is like you?
Mental health stigma researcher, Dr. Patrick Corrigan, PhD, notes that while it’s a positive step that famous people are sharing their mental health challenges, research shows that hearing a story from someone with a similar background, faith, or profession, for example, is MORE effective in reducing stigma because it’s more relatable.
We worked with him to create our Up to Me program, an informed disclosure program that provides a safe environment for participants to explore the story they’ve been telling themselves about their mental health and/or substance use challenges, whether formally diagnosed or not. In Up to Me, participants explore the ways stigma may be informing their story, evaluate the costs and benefits of disclosing their experiences in their daily life settings, and learn strategies for disclosure, should they decide to share their experiences. Up to Me empowers participants to recognize their strengths and resilience. 
How can we protect ourselves from absorbing inaccurate information?
It’s important to be discerning. Without necessarily recognizing it, we’re flooded with information daily. I have five recommendations:
- View it as storytelling, not guidance
- Think critically about content
- Fact check the information with trusted resources, like ADAA or IOCDF, or Rogers’ resource page which features blogs, podcasts, and videos with our experts and personal stories of recovery
- Talk with other people about their understanding
- Encourage others to be aware of the messages they’re receiving to reduce misinformation and stigma
If you’re concerned about your mental health or the mental health of a loved one, seek support from a professional.
Rogers offers mental health treatment
No one should suffer in silence or alone. We’re ready to meet you with treatment that works. Call 833-308-5887 for a free, confidential screening.
