At least you have your health. Usually after some type of traumatic event, this is something people have been saying to each other for years. Thinking about this statement when reviewing this week’s lesson, I got to thinking, what does it truly mean? The concept of health, traditionally, referred to broken bones, deformities and biological disease. In recent years, the medical profession, and some extent society has begun to look at health in a more holistic way, taking into account not just the biological, but the psychological and social as well.
I believe that the media, especially in the United States has and continues to play a role in damaging mental health. Social Influence, “…the idea that our interactions with other people can lead to changes in attitudes, beliefs, values and behavior”, also applies to the media (Gruman, Schneider, & Coutts, 2017). We live in a society where most people spend at least a few hours a day glued to the television set. In between some of the mindless shows that are on nowadays, we are bombarded with ads for medications for illnesses most have never heard of. We hear the side effects of the medication and the symptoms that it treats. This is a hypochondriac’s “all-you-can eat buffet”! I know people who have been convinced that they had a disease after seeing an ad on television and I know others who have severe anxiety for the same reason! I never understood the purpose of these ads, because I don’t think your average person is going to walk into their doctor and ask for a medication by name. That’s the doctor’s job!
This is all part of the persuasion that television (or the paid media in general) try to exert on the population. Commercials are not the only type of media to blame though. Even some beloved television shows, take for example, Frasier. This was a light-hearted show about the life of a radio-based psychiatrist. Although it was entertaining, I believe it conveyed a highly inaccurate view of what psychiatry really is. Dr. Frasier Crane solved people’s problems in mere minutes, over the radio no less. This leads people to believe that therapy is a short process, and that the practitioner is going to give you all the answers within a thirty minute timeslot!
Let us not forget about the news media. Although I loathe the term “#fakenews”, during the Covid pandemic I actually stopped watching any news programs. I would watch, looking for the latest news and advice on how to keep from getting Covid. You would change the channel and each station would be broadcasting different “advice”. Some would say wear a mask, some would say wear two, some would be questioning the legality of mask mandates. It was just dizzying! News programs are supposed to present an informational appeal when talking about a health situation – at least this is what I would expect as a viewer. An informational appeal is supposed to provide arguments based in fact, explaining why certain behaviors are (in this case) potentially detrimental to your health (Gruman, Schneider, & Coutts, 2017). Instead most news programs have become fear appeals, where the presenter plays on the fears of the audience in an effort to get them to change their behaviors (Gruman, Schneider, & Coutts, 2017). A fear appeal would have been fine (If you don’t want to get Covid and potentially die, wear a mask), however, the media was all over the place in the message they were sending.
The mainstream media has great power. Not to be cliché, but it’s been said that “with great power comes great responsibility”. In my opinion, the media has become completely irresponsible, especially when it comes to matters of health.
References
Gruman, J. A., Schneider, F. W., & Coutts, L. M. (2017). Applied Social Psychology: Understanding and Addressing Social and Practical Problems. Los Angeles: Sage.
Hello,
I thought your explanation of mental health was well thought out and I agree with how the media represents these stigmas. Throughout time, social media has increased rapidly with being able to post whatever someone feels and being able to comment back to someone based on their own beliefs or opinions without providing facts to back up their statements. I plan on doing my research report on how social media affects body image and mental health, and many psychological factors are involved when reading information online. Mental health in the youth is affected by influencers and celebrities posting about their unsafe surgeries, unrealistic body types, diets, etc which can all affect both physical and mental health which is never talked about. Gruman discusses “Even when people engage in recreational use of the Internet on social media, they are likely to be bombarded by the latest health claims, trends, and sometimes alarming health warnings that are posted by their friends and acquaintances.” (2017) as you mention, medical advertisements are problematic because they are not being told to you by your health care professional who knows your medical background, just a television.
These medical advertisements can be misleading and misinform the people who are engaged in this information. Mental health stigmas in the media have escalated due to not being properly educated on the types of mental health and how to react when people post about it in the news or on social media. Srivastava, Chaudhury, Bhat, and, Mujawar express that “The media contribute to mental illness stigma through the exaggerated, inaccurate, and comical images, they use to portray persons with psychiatric disorders as well as providing incorrect information about mental illness.” (2018) where stigmas on mental health may only get worse and lead to misdiagnosis and poor treatment in individuals.
Reference
Gruman, J.A., Schneider, F.W., & Coutts, L.A. (2017). Applied Social Psychology: Understanding and Addressing Social and Practical Problems. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
Srivastava, K., Chaudhury, S., Bhat, P. S., & Mujawar, S. (2018). Media and Mental Health. Industrial psychiatry journal. Retrieved February 14, 2022, from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6198586/#:~:text=The%20media%20contribute%20to%20mental,incorrect%20information%20about%20mental%20illness.
I really enjoyed reading your post. Unfortunately, many individuals choose to take their own life or suffer in silence because of the constant stigma of mental illness and lack of social support. Social support from friends and family members provides us with love, empathy, acceptance, and advice (Gruman et al., 2017, p.216). According to Gruman et al. (2017), those who lacked social support and felt social isolation were more prone to feelings of hopelessness (p.218).
The stigma around mental illness arises when individuals lack awareness and education about the topic and form misguided views. Those who constantly face judgment, discrimination, and public humiliation start to feel ashamed and embarrassed of themselves. Many people are afraid to come forward and seek help due to fear of judgement and the negative impact it could have on their life and career. Often these views that those with mental illness are incompetent or unstable causes them to be treated differently and discriminated towards in the workplace.
I am shocked that the inaccurate perception of mental illness is still so prevalent even after all of the new information and resources that are readily available to the public for consumption. The inaccurate media portrayals of mental illnesses are partially to blame for people’s misunderstandings. Therefore, it is important to read and accurately understand health information. Start by looking for trustworthy, credible websites with authoritative sources (Gruman et al., 2017, p.200).
Reference
Gruman, J.A., Schneider, F.W., & Coutts, L.A. (2017). Applied Social Psychology: Understanding and Addressing Social and Practical Problems. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.