Why Joker’s depiction of mental illness is dangerously misinformed

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With films playing a key role in shaping attitudes to mental health, two psychiatrists say Joaquin Phoenix’s troubled supervillain perpetuates damaging stereotypes

As doctors who work on acute inpatient psychiatric wards, serious mental illness is our daily reality. We have, therefore, watched the controversies around Todd Phillips’s Joker – in which Joaquin Phoenix plays a troubled loner who turns to violence – with professional interest.

The film’s dominance in the debate about portrayals of mental illness in the movies comes at a curious time. Recently, we’ve witnessed great leaps of awareness about relatively common mental-health issues such as depression and anxiety, and with that awareness, increasing dismissal of the sort of unhelpful prejudices that used to surround them. These are now readily discussed without shame and often represented in the media with a well-informed grasp of the facts, thanks to effective information campaigns.

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This post was syndicated from Health | The Guardian. Click here to read the full text on the original website.


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