For 4 years, from the time she was 13, my sister suffered from a debilitating mental illness. A phobia that developed into anorexia nervosa gave her crippling anxiety, preventing her from going to school, or sometimes even getting into the car in the morning. Her panic attacks lasted all day, and she became so thin and frail, from eating just a slice of cucumber a day, that she was unable to walk upstairs without feeling as though she might collapse. I would lie awake at night, hearing her shaking and crying, and worry if she was ever going to recover, and at some stages, if she was going to make it at all.
But what worried me most, more than her physical symptoms, was how others reacted to her. When they realised she had no virus; no broken leg; no parasite in her body but the lack of neurotransmitters in her brain, they ceased to believe her problems were real, even berating my mother for her lack of contact in the months where my sister was really bad. While I watched her fade in front of me, and while her illness gnawed away at our family, many of her teachers, friends, and acquaintances turned their backs, saying: “she needs to get real”; “she can’t be that ill, she hasn’t got cancer”; “she’s just doing it for attention”. I was furious.
Luckily, my beautiful younger sister is now happy, and healthy, and ready to start the university of her choice in September. She has a great group of friends and her family, who love her very much, and she has overcome her debilitating illness, mainly through her own sheer willpower, her love of music, and the support of her family. However, the awful reactions of some of those around her will stay with her, and me, probably forever.
Stigma and discrimination that surrounds mental health has become an epidemic. Just because there is no physical virus that causes mental illness, or even just the anxiety that we feel everyday, doesn’t mean it is not real. And it needs to be addressed, and talked about, or there will be even more people who feel abandoned, alone and unloved, just for not being ‘okay’. Recently, there has been a real surge in the representation of mental health in film, music, and television. In bringing awareness to the issues of mental health, these forms of media are bravely opening up the debates that we would fail to have otherwise. These 7 examples are among the most insightful, and often heartbreaking:
Black Swan
Black Swan is a haunting, and disturbingly accurate portrayal of the influence of outside pressures on our mental health. Natalie Portman plays the prima ballerina Nina, whose passion for the dance rules every facet of her life. Both her controlling mother, obsessed with her daughter’s wieght and the competition she finds in newcomer Lily (Mila Kunis), pressures her into a darker psychology that ultimately ends her life as she knows it. The film shows Nina suffering from suicidal thoughts, schizophrenic tendencies, anorexia and bulimia, gruadually sliding into a battle of her own will against her mental illnesses, represented by her dark doppelganger, that only she can see.
This haunting psychological drama only opens up the discussion on the way outside pressures in all areas of your life- whether that be work, relationships, eating, or even sporting pressures- can seriously affect your mental health. Undoubtedly, there are ways that both Nina’s mother, her friends, and her coaches at work could have eased her mental anguish, even by just being kind and considerate of her wellbeing and health, something we should all keep in mind when dealing with anyone we meet in our day.
A Beautiful Mind
The biographical film A Beautiful Mind, directed by Ron Howard, is based on the life of renowned mathematician John Nash. It follows his development of paranoid schizophrenia, throughout his troubled life. This film does not depict Nash as a monster, as is often the case with paranoid schizophrenics on film, and in real life. He seems a highly intelligent, awkward, yet kind man, forced to watch his working and home life crumble, as the people he loves lose out as a result of his debilitating and incontrollable. The film provides an honest interpretation of John’s suffering, not only its effect on his family, but on his own perception of himself.
A Beautiful Mind ends with John’s inspiring resolve. As there is, unfortunately, no cure for schizophrenia, John continues to deal with his hallucinations throughout his life. However, he decides that he wants to live life in the best way he possibly can, even though he is dealing with something so destructive. An amazing, postive and inspirational way to deal with mental health issues, that oftentimes, last a lifetime.
Sunrise- Our Last Night
One of those songs that you just want to sing at the top of your lungs. Although it explores issues of abandonment, bullying, hatred, and feeling unloved, this song also puts out a distinctly upbeat message: Even if things aren’t right at the moment, there will always be a time where they will be. A hopeful message that only cements the fluctuating nature of mental health, and tells us that it’s okay not to be okay all the time.
To The Bone
This recent Netflix addition explores a young woman’s heartbreaking battle with anorexia nervosa. Ellen, played by Lily Collins, is subjected to jokes and unhelpful comments by those who do not fully understand the condition of anorexia, and who cannot understand why she feels the way she does, even her clearly devoted parents. In going inside Ellen’s head, the condition of anorexia, from its first mental symptoms to its eventual close, are played out through the film. We see the heart breaking and difficult mental journey to treatment, and the ways in which anorexia can so quickly shape someone’s life.
Although it has been accused of ‘Hollywood-ising’ the condition, this film forms an open discussion on the dangers of anorexia, and the unrelenting and uncontrollable nature of its effect on the sufferer. If anything, it shows how much even tiny comments and actions from those in our own lives can affect our mental state.
Shutter Island
Shutter Island is a psychological thriller, directed by Martin Scorsese, starring Leonardo DiCaprio. Teddy, (DicAprio) is a U.S. Marshal assigned to investigate a psychiatric institution on Shutter Island, after a patient disappears.
The film starts out as a typical noir drama and eventually reaches a climactic twist, where the audience discovers that Teddy is actually a man named Andrew Laeddis, who murdered his bipolar wife, after she drowned their children. He was admitted to the mental hospital, and his role as a ‘U.S. Marshall’ was condoned by the doctors as role play therapy. Often, people suggest Andrew was not actually suffering from an actual mental health issue, but Shutter Island shows exactly how badly people with mental illnesses were treated in the fifties, and even on into the late 60s. The appalling conditions of the internment centre, Shutter Island, and the lobotomization of Andrew, shows the inhumanity of mental health facilities, barely 50 years ago.
Sorrow- Sleeping At Last
This beautiful song grounds itself in inspirational lyrics. They tell the story of a person in a dark and lonely mental state, who eventually comes to realise that in “great sorrow, we learn what joy means”. By moving from a representation of the darkest times in our lives to the happiest, the song reveals the simple, yet effective power of making another person feel good about themselves. It reveals mental health as one of the most important things that we struggle to control and reconcile ourselves with, throughout our lives.
13 Reasons Why
The hotly debated, and globally watched Netflix series, 13 Reasons Why, is a harrowing and unbelievably thought provoking story that deals with topics such as teen suicide, depression, bullying, and even rape. Not only does this series shed light on the underdiscussed, and often consciously ignored issues that face many teens worldwide, but it makes us realise the power we hold over eachother’s lives. Hannah Baker, a high school senior, leaves behind 13 tapes before she kills herself, detailing the events that lead to her decision to end her life. We follow her classmate Clay, as he tries to come to terms with Hannah’s revelations, and her death.
Not only does this harrowing story reflect the very real psychological, and physical damage that countless other teenagers face today, it reveals the pain and sorrow that comes from trying to piece together a broken life after losing someone you love.
All these forms of media address very real and underdiscussed mental health issues that swamp our society today. If they teach us one thing, it is that it is okay not to be okay, and that we should always be considerate of this in however we deal with ourselves and with others. Mental illness can be a long and difficult road, but it is treatable. If you are worried either about yourself, or anyone in your life, there are organisations who can offer support, here are some of them:
UK: www.mind.org.uk; www.youngminds.org.uk; www.headmeds.org.uk; www.elefriends.org.uk; www.place2be.org.uk; www.getconnected.org.uk; www.supportline.org.uk and www.samaritans.org
Exeter’s own Help Lines and Residence Life Team:
The Wellbeing Centre on 01392 724381
The Residence Life Team at residencelife@exeter.ac.uk.
If you need mental health services in the US, please call the SAMHSA treatment refferal helpline: 1-877-SAMHSA7