The Need for Accurate [and Respectful] Depictions of Mental Illness in Fiction

This thesis seeks to address the ongoing misrepresentation of mental illness in popular media, specifically within film, television, and literature. The power of the media is instrumental in public perception, and the ongoing negative misinformation and inaccuracy of mental illness those who are affected by it in media is instrumental in spreading harmful stereotypes and stigma. This affects not only the way that the general public views mental illness but also the way those with mental illness view themselves as well as their desire to seek help. I use these forms of media to showcase both the negative and positive representations of mental illness, namely schizophrenia, depression, bipolar disorder, and anxiety, to show the ways in which mental illness should be treated, on both the screen and the page, to both stop the perpetuation of damaging stigma and to harness the power of media to help change the tide on public misconceptions.