McKenzie, Emma (2026) The Shared Imagination of Mental Illness: Exploring How We Are Haunted by Representations of Mental Illness in the Media. Humanities, 15 (8). p. 107.
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Abstract
The following article investigates the way in which popular media in Western culture reinforces a shared imagination linked to the treatment and care of people experiencing mental health conditions that are often associated with horror, violence, and crime. These representations haunt our vision of what it means to receive a mental health diagnosis, instilling fear and negative perceptions of mental illness in our psyche. The violent and disturbing imagery that is often used to portray mental illness, and made for entertainment purposes, reinforces a shared subconscious fear that haunts our imagination. These portrayals of mental illness fail to bridge the gap between human trauma, a medical diagnosis and a positive return to the community. This article uses examples of popular media from the twenty-first century to demonstrate how imagery linked to the age of asylums persists in today’s representations of mental health experiences. These images are reinforced by mainstream news stories, which draw on the most sensational and frightening incidents of mental health episodes. In summary, this article will highlight the way that popular media is influenced by society and has the power to reshape our understandings of mental health experiences for the better. To do this, there is a need for positive change within the mental health system, and more balance within news stories about mental health conditions.
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Status: | Published |
| DOI: | 10.3390/h15080107 |
| School/Department: | School of Humanities |
| URI: | https://ray.yorksj.ac.uk/id/eprint/15554 |
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