But one thing I don't like is how mental health is treated in those mediums.
Earlier this year, DC Comics announced that it was relaunching most of its titles, calling it the "New 52" launch. The intention was to start over with their superheroes, to make them more accessible to readers who have not kept up with the years and years and years of mythology behind them. You should be able to pick up issue #1 and start from the beginning.
DC also made it sound like they were going to treat audiences differently. They were going to be more inclusive to women and minorities. That didn't exactly happen, but because they didn't relaunch the way people expected them to, they were called out on a lot of their problems. Their over-sexualization of women, for one, sparked a lot of debate.
Well, one group that isn't being treated any differently is the mentally ill. From the article:
The three forensic psychiatrists, who co-founded the consulting group "Broadcast Thought," are also comic book readers. And they've often been appalled by the depiction of the mentally ill in comics. But it was one recent solicitation that got the ball rolling.
"This is something that I've had my eye on, as I went through medical school and went through psychiatry residency, and then forensic psychiatry fellowship," Pozios said. "I've paid more careful attention to these depictions of mental illness in comic books.
"And I have to say that, as someone who regularly reads Newsarama, I pay attention to the solicitations when they're posted," he said. "And when the solicitation came out for Batman and Robin #26, I have to say that was a shock to me, when I saw the language that was used. I thought to myself, "I can't believe they're actually using this sort of language. They're actually using the word 'lunatic' in the solicitation!'"
The solicitation said, "Someone freed the lunatics, and unless they can be stopped, they'll turn Paris into a surreal Hell on Earth!"
"I thought about writing something about it back then," Pozios said. "And I started talking to the guys about it. But when DC announced the relaunch, we all thought it would be a great opportunity for DC to seize the moment and update some of the language and the depictions.
But so far, Pozios said, mental disorders seem to be depicted in a similar manner after the relaunch as there were before September. "It's too early to tell if there will be any substantive changes, but we remain optimistic that DC Comics will capitalize on the success of The New 52 and seize the opportunity to modernize depictions of mental health issues in future DC Comics issues," he said.
Think about it. The Joker and the other residents of Arkham Asylum, located in Gotham City, are all characterized as "criminally insane". They're only bad because they're crazy! It's an easy explanation, but it's also harmful.
As the psychiatrists in the article mention, describing their behavior by using real-world medical terms only reinforces the idea that mentally ill people are dangerous.
You may be saying to yourself, "They're just comic books, what's the big deal?" Well, they're perpetuating negative stereotypes that are consumed by a massive audience. Young people and adults read comics every week. The comics industry is huge. It spawns movies that are also consumed, and merchandise. And believe me, I intend to discuss other media too: Movies, TV, books, newspapers, etc. All of these visuals combined create a culture where mental health is not welcome. People who are mentally ill must be crazy. It's such a pervasive thought in our society that we probably don't even notice it most of the time.
Every single person who reads these negative depictions of the mentally ill is also consuming these stereotypes. There's a reason that people are afraid of those diagnosed with Schizophrenia or Bipolar Disorder. It's because people with those disorders are shown as dangerous, as serial killers, as "psychos" who will snap at any moment.
It makes people afraid to speak up about their own problems. Like I've said before, I was very afraid to seek treatment for many years. I didn't want to be crazy. Other people would be afraid of me. My own mother has called me crazy before, and even though I know she didn't mean it in a derogatory way, it still hurt. If my own mother thinks I'm crazy, what will other people think?
So some people who don't seek treatment become worse. It shouldn't be that way.
Good points.
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