Mental Health On Screen

TW: mentions of self-harm, suicide, and other mental illnesses.

I’d like to preface this article by saying that I suffer from long term mental health conditions; I was first diagnosed at 15, and later re-diagnosed at 19 when my symptoms started to shift. I suffer from Bipolar disorder (mania and depression), and Anxiety disorder, so that is mainly what I will be addressing, since that is what I feel qualified to talk about. In addition, no piece of media I mention in this article is 100% good or bad when it comes to accurately and ethically portraying mental health issues.

As a young person, it can be really difficult to know if other people around you are experiencing life in the same way. In school, I regularly heard my friends and classmates say things like “this test is going to give me a panic attack”, or “sorry, I’m just really OCD about my stuff”, or “maths makes me want to kill myself”, so I didn’t have any reason to think I was having a rougher time of it than anyone else. Luckily, I grew up with the internet and knew how to type ‘do i have depression test’ into the search bar. Somewhat unluckily however, I also had unfiltered access to any tv show in which out of touch writers haphazardly used mental illness to bring in a young and vulnerable audience.

I’m starting with the bad stuff because I would rather end this on a nice note, so, without further ado, let’s talk about ‘13 Reasons Why’. When the first series of this show aired, I was 16 and on the endlessly long waitlist for teenagers seeking therapy - a.k.a their target audience. At the time, I was very into any show with adults posing as children with expensive clothes and clear skin in a web of messy relationships, on top of that, I heard that there were gay characters and the protagonist had depression (the same as me). Long story short, I watched the series in one sitting and almost immediately started to self-harm. It would be unfair to blame Netflix for me wanting to hurt myself - it wasn’t the first time, I had depression and, at worst ‘13 Reasons Why’ was just a catalyst. The truth is, Hannah (the main character) slit her wrists and that made her beautiful, it made people love her and it gave her an escape from her crappy life. The key difference between this show and other shows which portray teen suicide (like Euphoria), is that it gives a step-by-step guide, as Hannah is explicitly shown dismissing councillors, who are portrayed as useless and uncaring, stealing razor blades, running a bath, and slitting her wrists. The viewer is given a frankly beautiful shot of water flowing from her elegant bathtub as it slowly turns red and pours from beneath the bathroom door and her parents rush in to find her corpse (obviously fully made up with), supported by a gorgeous and heart-wrenching score. This skewed representation of the act underpins the idea that all her problems have been solved by her suicide, romanticising it to a huge audience of young people.

This is not to say that romanticisation is always the fault of the creators. Euphoria is undoubtedly one of the best shows about teenagers (specifically teenage girls) in recent years; from its unfiltered portrayal of mental health issues, to its clear diversity in terms of sexuality, race, gender, class, and body type. One place the show fails in my eyes is that all the girls are undoubtedly beautiful. As viewers, we are shown Ruth (Zendaya) in oversized hoodies with dark circles under her eyes and unwashed hair, but she is unfailingly gorgeous and funny and smart - in short, she is still an idealised version of a teenager. I’m not blaming the show-runners for casting a brilliant actress of colour, and I’m definitely not blaming Zendaya because she can’t help looking good, but anyone like me who looks up to her as an actress or as a character will have a distorted view of her actions, including her multiple suicide attempts outlined in the show. Another example of this is in ‘Girl, Interrupted’, a film I love wholeheartedly; I understand the characters are flawed and unhappy but, as an outside spectator, it is impossible for me to suspend my disbelief and separate them from the famously beautiful Winona Ryder and Angelina Jolie, despite the fact that both actresses have publicly spoken about their own struggles with mental health.

The first time I truly felt my mental health was being portrayed accurately on screen was in the Australian sitcom ‘Please Like Me’ by Josh Thomas. A key aspect of the overarching plot of the series focusses on Josh’s mum (Rose) as she is diagnosed with bipolar disorder at a much older age after a suicide attempt in the first episode. The show carefully explores how bipolar presents itself, as well as other disorders including depression and anxiety through the characters of Hannah and Arnold. A key reason this show stands out to me personally is that it was the first time I had seen my own complex relationship with medication portrayed on screen; Rose often decides to stop taking her medication because it makes her feel muted - “I don’t want to feel the same way at a friend’s wedding as I do at their funeral” - and then is forced to return to taking them because for many people, it’s just impossible to function otherwise. Furthermore, we are let into a modern well-funded mental hospital, which is so different from what we’ve come to expect from ‘One Flew Over the Cukoo’s Nest’ or ‘American Horror Story: Asylum’, which are obviously nothing like modern-day facilities. Basically If you’re looking for a show with good writing, engaging characters, gay representation, and accurately portrayed mental illness then I highly recommend it.

To finish off I’d like to share some shows that have genuinely helped me understand and articulate what’s going on in my head: ‘Bojack Horseman’ (but particularly the later series) show how recovery is intensely difficult but doable and give an insight into the brain of a person with depression and anxiety (s4e6), ‘Brassic’ has a great portrayal of bipolar disorder from an actor with the same condition (Joe Gilgun) and shows how working-class people access care differently, ‘Please Like Me’ deals with sensitive topics such as panic attacks, self-harm, suicide, and treatment, and features characters from a wider range of ages than most shows.

In the UK, the Samaritans can be contacted on 116 123. Papyrus are contactable on 0800 068 41 41 or by texting 07786 209 697 or emailing pat@papyrus-uk.org. In the US, the National Suicide Prevention Hotline is 1-800-273-8255. In Australia, the crisis support service Lifeline is on 13 11 14. Hotlines in other countries can be found here.